‘Better Off Dead?’ No Way

You might recall the movie Me Before You. Liz Carr, an English comedian, actress, and disability-rights campaigner, does. The 2016 film — about a handsome young man who becomes disabled after an accident, falls in love, and then, as with all good rom-coms, goes off to Switzerland to die — caused great offense to people with disabilities and their loved ones.

Carr attended its premiere with other disabled-rights’ activists, where she confronted the cast and crew. She expressed that, for people like her, Me Before You epitomizes the harmful prejudices that many able-bodied people have toward those with disabilities. As Carr puts it: “If a nondisabled person wants to commit suicide, it’s seen as a tragedy. If a disabled person does, it’s a release.”

About the Author

Madeleine Kearns

Madeleine Kearns is a former staff writer at National Review.

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You might recall the movie Me Before You. Liz Carr, an English comedian, actress, and disability-rights campaigner, does. The 2016 film — about a handsome young man who becomes disabled after an accident, falls in love, and then, as with all good rom-coms, goes off to Switzerland to die — caused great offense to people with disabilities and their loved ones.

Carr attended its premiere with other disabled-rights’ activists, where she confronted the cast and crew. She expressed that, for people like her, Me Before You epitomizes the harmful prejudices that many able-bodied people have toward those with disabilities. As Carr puts it: “If a nondisabled person wants to commit suicide, it’s seen as a tragedy. If a disabled person does, it’s a release.”