I came across something earlier which totally sickened and appalled me. You may have heard that author Terry Pratchett died yesterday. He was a high profile advocate of the legalisation of assisted suicide, and some people associated with the disability rights community were saying they were glad he had died as his death stops him spreading his views. I find that utterly disgusting. It made me very angry indeed.

I hoped I had misunderstood, so I enquired a bit further: it may have been they were glad he had passed on before he had chance to top himself, a stance I can more or less accept. But it was as bad and as hateful as I had feared: they relished his passing simply because it silenced an opponent. Whether one agreed with him or not and, as I think I have touched upon here before, I am very wary of the issue – Pratchett had a right to his views. To welcome his death so emphatically, simply because it silenced a voice you disagreed with, is utterly contemptible. As much as I loathe Nigel Farage, I do not want him dead, nor would I relish his passing; I know enough of death to value life in all its diversity. I had hoped that to be true of everyone associated with the disability rights community – it disturbs me utterly to find I was wrong. I don’t want anything to do with people who take such an appalling, hateful and juvenile stance.