Liz Carr, known for starring in Season 3 of the fantasy comedy “Good Omens” and playing a forensic scientist in the crime drama “Silent Witness,” has spoken out about the U.S. government’s refusal to fully legalize euthanasia in the country. I support what I’m doing.
The actress and disability rights activist advocated how these programs can have a cultural impact on the lives of people with disabilities. “For people who have lost a job or a loved one and are experiencing suicidal thoughts, others will rally together to help prevent suicide,” she told the Daily Mail. People think it’s okay to die through medical treatment. They think it’s better to die than be disabled. ”
She believes that legalizing such options could encourage people with disabilities to end their lives prematurely, believing that they “must stop being a burden” to those around them. There is. She argues that the connotations behind this medical support service can impose wrong ideas on people.
At the age of seven, Kerr was diagnosed with a rare genetic disease of the muscles and joints called Arthrogryposis Multiplex Congenita. Since stepping into the spotlight, she has become a voice for people like herself and has been opposing assisted dying for more than a decade. Last month, she screened the documentary “Better Off Dead?” The event was co-sponsored by the Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund, the Patient Rights Action Fund, and Not Dead Yet in front of the U.S. Capitol. “As long as we are unequal and certain groups are devalued, no safeguards will protect us,” Carr said.
To date, 10 states in the United States have legalized assisted suicide: California, Colorado, Oregon, Vermont, New Mexico, Maine, New Jersey, and Hawaii, as well as Washington, DC. The requirements are that the patient be over 18 years old, be within 6 months of death, and complete an assessment to ensure the decision has been well thought out. Approximately 19 bills have been introduced in the state legislature this year. New states were unable to legalize the procedure. The last state to do so was New Mexico in 2021. However, in 2023, Vermont amended its assisted dying law and removed the residency requirement. That means you don’t have to be a resident of the state to travel to the state and get the procedure done. .
The case has been controversial, with many activists like Kerr bringing forward stories like Canadian Armed Forces veteran and former Paralympic athlete Christine Gauthier to oppose it. Gauthier was sentenced to assisted death after complaining to the government that it was taking too long to install a wheelchair elevator in his home. It’s too long. Religious groups in the United States have also rallied against the law on moral grounds. Some people are calling for options that would prevent patients with long-term terminal illnesses from suffering extreme torture until death.
One example is the heartbreaking case of Ira Eilert, who passed away in April 2022 after a grueling seven-month battle with cancer. She continued to struggle for the option of physician-assisted death, which was not available in her home state. of New York.
The current legislative stagnation and recent trends on the issue may highlight where the problem lies, at least for now. Just last month, Delaware Governor John Carney vetoed a bill that would allow for assisted dying, saying, “There are fundamental and I am morally opposed to it.”
“This shows people are thinking seriously. They don’t want to scare the population at large, especially people who already feel very vulnerable,” Kerr says. The conversation continues to grow as states such as Illinois and Minnesota debate additional bills on the subject.
