Is it wise to legalise euthanasia in a culture with a low opinion of disability?

people facing enormous disadvantages – in the context of the ongoing debate about assisted dying.

People should have the right to end their own life, especially if they are in terrible pain and terminally ill, but there is no reason to celebrate when they do so.

The reports of the death of David Goodall, the 104-year-old Australian scientist, who ended his life in Switzerland last week, treated his decision as almost the natural thing for a person of such a great age to do.

He was, however, not terminally ill. “What is the age at which we no longer celebrate people continuing life?” asked the head of the Australian Medical Association. In the reaction to the case, he fears a line has been crossed.

I fear so too. Campaigners for legalising assisted dying in the UK have wanted to limit it to people with terminal illnesses, with strict medical safeguards. But given how Dr Goodall’s case is being used as a reason to change the law, is it really so ridiculous to fear a slippery slope to a point where it is considered a reasonable option for people who do not have life-limiting conditions?

To my mind, the big risk is not changing the law to make it easier to die, but a change in how we think about living.

This is most often talked about in relation to the elderly, who may worry about being a burden on their children and grandchildren.

But more broadly, the question of whether people will be competent enough to make the decision to die takes on a new shade if, as a culture, we are becoming intolerant of the idea that an imperfect life can still be a good life.