One sign of the skewed nature of media coverage and the times we live in is how little time and attention are given to the very real life-and-death situations facing people in the UK in the face of draconian shredding of the social safety net for disabled people. Some of that shredding is already done and much more is to follow. The majority of people with disabilities in the UK are much more concerned with how they are going to survive in the face of these cuts rather than how they’re going to die – since these cuts are ensuring that death will come sooner and more painfully for many. (If you think I’m exaggerating, check out this summary of the latest report gauging the effects of budget cuts to people in the UK.)
But of course that’s not getting that much coverage, especially considering the number of people who will be affected. What does get coverage is when some selfish, self-absorbed disabled person makes loud public noises about wanting to kill himself – or, more accurately, wants to have someone else be able to legally kill him when he’s ‘ready.’ That’s not a hypothetical person, but describes Tony Nicklinson, who is getting worldwide coverage regarding his wish to have a doctor be able to kill him with a legal injection sometime in the future.
The public, of course, eats this up. It’s so much easier to get behind the desire of a disabled person to kill himself than it is to support the needs of thousands of people who may require more of you – more support in the community and even a little more from your paycheck to support the services and supports needed for many disabled people to live decent lives.
It doesn’t cost a penny to support suicide for people with disabilities. And it supports the notion that since our lives suck anyway, the best help we can receive is to make it easier for us to kill ourselves.
Our thanks to John Kelly for being the disability voice in CNN’s coverage of this farce.
Great job, John!