(Editor’s note – I didn’t know Alison well. We met only once at a conference and corresponded a few times. But I think she’s the only person I’ve met older than myself with lifelong treated hydrocephalus. Alison had spina bifida, while I acquired hydrocephalus through other means. She was a valued ally and a strong voice against the assisted suicide and euthanasia movement across the world. She will be missed.)
We’ve lost another one. Alison Davis – a campaigner against assisted suicide and euthanasia – died in the morning hours of December 3. The news was sent out by Colin Harte, her carer and close friend for over 20 years. In the UK, Alison was also a passionate voice in the prolife movement. NDY doesn’t engage on either side of the “pro-choice/pro-life” debate, but we have sometimes found ourselves working with pro-life activists like Alison – who was brilliant, passionate and disciplined.
Here are a couple of examples of her work:
In 2011, Vivre dans la Dignité / Living with Dignity in Quebec, Canada filmed and produced a short testimonial on euthanasia and assisted suicide by Alison:
In 2004, Disability Studies Quarterly published an article by Alison titled “A Disabled Person’s Perspective on Euthanasia“. Here’s an excerpt:
When I have told my story in public, representatives of the Voluntary Euthanasia Society have always protested that under their proposed rules my request for euthanasia would have been denied because they claim I was “depressed.” Apart from the breathtaking arrogance of presuming to know my state of mind at a time when they did not even know I existed, the truth is that the supposedly “strict safeguards” to a euthanasia law that the VES promotes, do not even mention depression as a disqualifying factor. In fact, most requests for killing do stem from some form of depression, and the availability of euthanasia would simply mean that less attention would be paid to trying to treat it.
To learn more about Alison and her life, please check out this Memorial Page set up by her long-time friend and carer, Colin Harte.