ITV’s Emmerdale sparked outrage last night by showing a controversial assisted suicide scene.
The tetraplegic character in the long-running soap, called Jackson Walsh, consumed a cocktail of drugs that was handed to him by his homosexual partner.
The show has come under fire for presenting a one-sided and unrealistic picture of assisted dying.
Care Not Killing, an alliance that promotes palliative care and campaigns against assisted dying, has spoken out against the programme for showing the disturbing scene. A spokesman for the organisation said: “It's an important issue and we should talk about end of life matters but to show it on screen in this way is very irresponsible”.
A spinal injuries charity, Aspire, also spoke out against the show, saying that it opted for ‘poor stereotypes’ and had missed a chance to challenge misconceptions about spinal cord injury.
Penn Wooding suffered a spinal injury 25 years ago but said that he learned to live with his disability. Speaking to the Daily Mail, he said: “I wouldn't say I was depressed like Jackson, but I was lost as to how to move on. I soon realised I could adapt.”
An estimated 7.2 million people watched the programme and TV watchdog Ofcom has confirmed that it is to launch an investigation after many members of the public voiced their complaints.
Andrea Minichiello Williams, CEO of Christian Concern, said:
“The assisted suicide cause has received a lot of publicity lately. It is deeply concerning that such a one-sided portrayal of assisted suicide can be shown before the watershed on a major TV channel. It is only right that Ofcom intervene to ensure that such programmes are not used to push certain agendas.”
Written by Peter Norris
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