Euthanasia for convenience?

I totally agree with the comments made this morning by the Disability Commissioner on RNZ National, particularly that the attitudes of NZers are nowhere near where they need to be in order to have any kind of conversation about euthanasia. Right now it seems more like we’re looking for ways to get rid of people we don’t understand. Sound familiar? Many New Zealanders went to war to fight against this sort of bigotry during WW2.

With the greatest of respect to the member of Parliament who has introduced the End of life bill, I dispute what he sees as his right to decide for his son. Who says he, or any of us, are ‘suffering’.

My blindness is not curable but I’m not suffering from this. What I and the 24% of NZers who are disabled do suffer from though is the rank ignorance of others who think they know best. Personally, I refuse to figuratively ‘sit at the back of the bus’. My rights, and those of my disabled peers, are just as important as anyone elses. How dare anyone think they can get rid of us as inconvenient, costly useless drains on society.

Does my blindness, and now older age, make me useless? No doubt many might assume so. When I finish the PhD I started this year, to add to my other qualifications and years of work in mid-level management in both the State and NGO sectors, I’ll let you know.