Consistently, one of the loudest voices opposing physician-assisted suicide laws are advocates for people with disabilities. For many of us, their concerns might not be immediately obvious. Lawrence Carter-Long, with Disability Rights Education & Defense Fund, explains how legalizing assisted suicide puts those with disabilities at great risk.
“The lives of disabled people are severely undervalued and severely misunderstood,” says Carter-Long, who’s had cerebral palsy his entire 54 years. He puts a lot of the blame for this on the media and Hollywood. He’s studied the films that portray assisted suicide and in every one, “the person has decided that they’re better dead than disabled.” He asks, “What is the subliminal, or the subconscious impact of that?”
