Euthanasia advocates have an ideology of illogical ideas.

Meghan Schrader

By Meghan Schrader

Meghan is an autistic person who is an instructor at E4 - University of Texas (Austin) and an EPC-USA board member.

The world’s most ardent euthanasia advocates have built an ideology based on totally illogical ideas; like the premise that it’s not bigoted to kill members of a disenfranchised group because they are members of that group. Or, the idea that voluntary euthanasia is not suicide, no matter how permissive the euthanasia program is. Or the proposition that euthanizing homeless people is compassionate rather than bullying and nihilistic. 

The leaders of "Euthanasia Land" like to make up their own facts. I think that this behavior shows what can happen when a person lives their entire life in an upper middle class, able-bodied academic bubble. Such people are used to having their ideas accepted as facts, so they feel free to construct blantantly false narratives.

Perhaps one of the most egregious offenders in this regard is euthanasia advocate James Downar. He seems to like to make up his own facts the way some people like to write poetry or paint.

In August of 2024 Downar posted something on X about euthanasia opponents that is laughably nonsensical. He posted, 

“Worse from my perspective is the rash of "advocacy" groups who only seem focused on blocking MAID laws, but are largely silent on the policy issues that actually affect the health of PWDs and the chronically ill (social supports, vaccines).Curious agenda.”

The absurdity and arrogance of that statement is truly breathtaking. Yes, James Downar, all the disability justice euthanasia opponents-those of us who have published articles in the field of disability studies, those of us who have published books about disability justice, those of us we who have been arrested at demonstrations for care attendant services, those of us working as disability justice attorneys, we who are special education teachers, those of us working to advance the condition of BIPOC people with disabilities, those of us who have spoken to the United Nations about disability rights, we who are disabled and bear the daily brunt of systemic ableism-somehow have done nothing to achieve a better world for people with disabilities. But you, James Downar, an ablebodied, affluent euthanasia devotee, are a disability justice sage!

That’s a totally illogical premise, and Downar is quite bold to articulate such canards. It’s like someone looking at the sky on a clear day and saying that the sky is green. I think this behavior is probably the result of being a wealthy and powerful person: James Downar is used to other powerful people heaping praise on him; which gives him a sense of permission to make fallacious claims.

But, Downar’s propensity to espouse fabrications about the disability rights movement isn’t ethically defensible, and he isn’t actually entitled to attack disability justice advocates with lies while virtue signaling about what a fine upstanding social justice warrior he is.