of the disabled being heroic and not about everyday life and its problems. Changing the law will, in my opinion, seriously reinforce many existing and hidden external and internalised prejudices about disability and serious illness. Genetic testing is already doing this. Choice is great - we all want that. But, this is not the time to change the law - in the future maybe yes, but not now, it's way too early in the history of the politics of disability. "After a stroke in 2005 left him almost completely paralysed, Tony Nicklinson has been fighting for the right to end his own life." one of the more bizarre anomaly's thrown up by this never-to-be-questioned (no matter how ludicrous) 'dawn of time' sense of morality we're inflicted with perpetually. for example, it is not only taboo to take performance enhancing drugs as an athlete it's now illegal and a career and possibly life ender too. now who was it who decided that giving oneself that competitive edge (after all they are all competing) is immoral? it's ridiculous. in the original olympiads it is believed contestants were not only encouraged but expected to win by whatever means possible, be they overt or covert and now here's poor mr nicklinson having to suffer the worst imaginable indignity, as if he's not had enough indignity the last seven years, of having to beg to be put out of this all but unimaginable misery his life has become. absolutely heartbreaking, absolutely appalling and absolutely pathetic.