There has been wide press coverage of this story about a baby with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), who doctors say should be allowed to die because he has no ‘quality of life’. Says who!? Such statements piss me off, as surely the only person qualified to speak on the quality of one’s life is oneself. Many people would say that, because I have CP, I have less quality of life – they would be wrong. I love my life. Because this child has nothing to compare it with, he may well love his life too.

I risk here being accused of aligning myself with right wing pro-lifers, but I think I am remaining liberal in saying his infant should be kept alive. It is more right wing, in my opinion, in saying he should be allowed to die just because he does not conform to what some people think is a quality life.

The fact remains we have no way of determining what this child feels, and thus he should be given the benefit of the doubt.