The subject of assisted suicide has cropped up again today. Before now I have always tried to appear on the fence on the issue, unable to quite say whether I was for or against it. Yet, the truth is, the more I think about the notion, the more repugnant I find it. Of course, I’m not speaking from any form of religious or spiritual standpoint; I just feel that life is to be cherished and lived for as long as possible. If we only have one life to live, why would anyone want that finite existence to end sooner than it otherwise might? The world is full of so many awesome things, why would anyone want to die before experiencing as many of them as possible?

More to the point, legalising assistant suicide brings up a few hideous possibilities: roads so dark and dangerous we cannot risk going down them. As many others are pointing out, this bill may start us down a slippery slope which ends with people being coerced or encouraged to end their lives. People with disabilities might start to feel like a burden to others, and suicide might be presented to them as some kind of altruistic option. No matter how far fetched this scenario might seem, no matter how many safeguards are put in place, that is a risk we cannot take.  One step down this path opens the door to a plethora of hideous possibilities,which is why I stand (or sit) with any other disability rights activist worth their salt in opposing it.