On air: Do we need sex to feel normal?

Otto Baxter is like most 21 year old guys – he wants to find a girlfriend and have sex. Unlike most other 21 year olds, he has Down’s syndrome. His mum Lucy says she’s “working overtime to get this sorted for him.” She’s appealing for women to come forward, and says she’d be happy if Otto wanted to visit a prostitute.

Lucy says “I can’t see that one can be a rounded individual in our society if you don’t participate in everything that we participate in,” and that includes sex. Should Lucy Baxter be placing such a big emphasis on finding sex for her son? Do we need sex to make us feel normal?

Talking points 18 March

How far should a parent go to find a sexual partner for her disabled son? That’s exactly what one woman in the UK is actively doing. She’s even going as far to say she would consider paying for a prostitute for her son who has Downs Syndrome.

This blogger asks How many mothers seek hookers for their sons?

Here are some of the conversations going on on a BBC messageboard. This agony aunt in the UK says she believes this young man Otto Baxter, who has Downs, has the right to sex.