Yes Singer should be allowed to speak

Newshub reports:

New Zealand’s disabled community is outraged a controversial Australian philosopher who justifies infanticide is being allowed to speak here.

Peter Singer, who’s been described as the most dangerous man in the world, has argued it’s ethical to give parents the option to euthanise babies with disabilities.

“We decided that yes it was a reasonable decision for parents and doctors to make that it was better that infants with this condition should not live,” he says.

I think his views are terrible and horrible. I disagree strongly with them.

But I think he should be allowed to argue for his point of view, and that if people are silly enough to want to pay money to hear his views, they should also be allowed to.

And while the disabled community isn’t planning to stop him coming here they’re refusing to stay quiet.

“He has every right to freedom of speech, they have every right to host him. I have every right to protest and to counter his speech around disability,” Dr Hickey says.

An excellent response. Protest not censorship. Counter his speech with your own.

But some people Newshub spoke to today want his event axed.

“Yeah I don’t know if I’d be welcoming him here,” one person said.

“I think that’s horrific and terrifying,” another said.

Oh dear. A media story now includes the opinions of two anonymous people.

UPDATE: Sky City have cowardly cancelled the booking. As a private venue that is their right, but it shows what a culture of fear that now exists, and how cancel culture is so powerful.