Faceoff

I was listening to the BBC late last night when I heard this interview between Liz Carr, a woman with a disability and freelance reporter, and Noel Martin, who was paralyzed in a neo-Nazi attack twelve years ago and is now seeking assistance to die from a Swiss-based euthanasia group. The conversation between Liz and Martin raises many of the questions familiar to those of us who who have been tracking the ongoing debate on disability and assisted suicide. What constitutes an acceptable quality of life? Does the right to privacy include the right to terminate one’s own life? How do society’s views on disability influence the decision to end one’s life?

After listening to the full interview, I’m struck by a couple things. First, Martin seems incredibly despondent about his situation. The BBC provides some videos of Martin’s daily life and he has been confined to bed for several months, which would depress anyone. Second, Carr can’t seem to grasp the scope of Martin’s enduring grief for the life he had before his injury. The two are talking past each other, neither one really able to understand the other’s perspective. Martin can’t imagine realizing any sense of independence in his current state and Carr can’t imagine his isolation. I have a difficult time imagining it myself.

I don’t expect Martin to change his mind about ending his life and, judging from the reactions of the callers to the live portion of the broadcast, he has plenty of support. But it seems too easy to say that his decision is a mistake or rooted in chronic depression. Life with a significant disability is a struggle and to suggest otherwise would be an act of denial. And if I suddenly experienced a dramatic change, like loss of sensation or the ability to speak, I can’t be sure how I would cope.