A pro-euthanasia TV commercial has been banned in Australia, with broadcast regulators claiming the clip promotes suicide, the BBC reports.
In the advert, a scruffy, pajama-clad actor describes a series of physical ailments, and concludes by urging the government to acknowledge the choices of those who are terminally ill. "I didn't choose to starve to death because eating is like swallowing razor blades," the actor says. "I certainly didn't choose to have to watch my family go through it with me. I've made my final choice -- I just need the government to listen."
The Telegraph reports that the 45-second clip was yanked by Free TV Australia, which regulates advertising material for free-to-air commercial stations, on the grounds that "material which promotes or encourages suicide will invariably be unsuitable for television."
Production company Exit International says their campaign is merely a political statement about the fact that the euthanasia is still illegal in Australia. According to The Guardian, the firm now plans to submit a re-edited version of the commercial for approval as well as release a series of accompanying billboard ads.
Watch the full commercial here: