Dear Glenn Beck,

I’m disabled and I think you’re hilariously wrong, as usual. Let me tell you why.

You recently did a segment on your radio show about assisted suicide. In it, you lambasted a mother that went on Dr. Phil and talked about wanting to euthanize her two mentally disabled children.

Now, I don’t know the circumstances of this case, I don’t know what kind of condition they’re in or how much they’re suffering, so I can’t comment on that situation. What I can comment on is the stand you took against assisted suicide. You said, “Suicide is never an option”. Yes, it is.

I’m in a wheelchair. I can’t breathe on my own, I can’t move and I can’t do much of anything without assistance (I’m writing this using my right thumb and a virtual keyboard). What I have to go through in my daily life is beyond your comprehension. Yes, you have a disabled daughter and yes, she faces great challenges too, but you personally have never experienced the challenges that we have.

Our medical benefits are being slashed at an alarming rate. Mine have already been cut to the point where I can’t live a life independent from my family. Everyday is a struggle to have decent life. You are telling me that, should I ever decide my quality of life was not acceptable and didn’t see it getting better, that I can’t decide to end my suffering. You are telling me that, because it offends your sensibilities, I can’t exercise the only power I have? Sorry, that just won’t fly.

You don’t get to make that decision.

You tried to frame this as the government trying to euthanize the disabled, but it’s simply not. This is about the government giving people the freedom to do what they want with their bodies. Yes, sometimes this involves decisions that you don’t agree with , but that’s freedom and that’s democracy. As long it doesn’t infringe on your rights you’re just going to have to deal with it. Life is full of tough and ugly choices. People like myself have to make them everyday. You might not agree with those choices, but to deny us that option is inhumane.

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Raul Carranza is a full-time activist and a college student (when he has the nursing hours).  When he is not blogging about the evils of budget cuts and private insurance, he competes in Strongman bouts and is a tactical planner for the A-Team.