Speaking on behalf of everyone
Robyn Hunt writes at The Spinoff:
I assure David Seymour that assisted suicide is a really big and complicated deal. It is no coincidence that disabled people all over the world oppose it.
Really? Every single one?
Disabled people see assisted suicide as dangerous because of their already marginalised status.
I congratulate the disabled people of the world for having elected Robyn Hunt to speak on their behalf.
There is one small problem.
They didn’t.
A 2015 poll by Populus found higher support for assisted dying or euthanasia laws amongst disabled people, than those without disabilities. The level of support was:
- Have a disability: 86%
- No disability or longstanding physical or mental condition: 81%
- longstanding physical condition 86%
- longstanding mental condition 89%
It is quite appropriate to raise issues of concern over any proposed law. It is not appropriate to claim to speak for an entire group of people, when you don’t and in fact your view is very much in the minority of that community.