The danger in ‘talking up’ people ‘wanting to end their own lives no matter what challenges they face is that it tends to create a reluctance on vulnerable people’s part to sharing their needs or asking for support. By normalising ‘I want to end my life because I have problems’-speak, society is saying to vulnerable people that they are a burden and the generous thing to do is to stop being a burden to others.

Many of us face challenges at the end of our lives. To create an ethos of equal respect, we must encourage in our lives, and that of our family, community and in government a society that supports and cares for the weakest and most vulnerable among us.