Tony Nicklinson - A National Disgrace

For the three of you how may not know, Tony has been paralysed from the neck down by a stroke. He can communicate only be looking at letters on a board. He describes his life as 'torture' and 'a living hell'.


Tony want to end his life, but he cant, because he cannot move. Dignitas will not help him, and the law in the UK says anybody who assists him is guilty of murder, a position repeated by the Court of Appeal, who chose to duck the issue and pass it back to the government to deal with rather than being big enough to deal with it in law.


This country's continuing cowardice in coming to terms with this issue is disgusting. We spend millions on court cases whining about terrorists human rights and worrying about them being deported to countries where they might be tortured, and yet we inflict this deliberate horror on our own citizens in this supposedly civilised country.


We do not live in the dark ages any more. Our laws should not be influenced by religious hysteria. It is cruel and inhumane to force people who have a good reason for choosing to end their lives to suffer on. Suicide, or this sin of taking ones own life is irrelevant. There is no argument to support 'well it could be used to force old people to die'. Sufficient safeguards can be put in place to prevent this. Palliative care is an option, but should not be forced upon people who dont want it.


This is cruel and petty, and at the bottom of this and every other story like it is a human being in torment who is being abused by their government and their society. It has to stop.