Stephen Hawking is giving his opinion on assisted suicide, saying he would consider it for himself if the circumstances made sense. The physicist would only choose to end his life if he was in immense pain or could no longer contribute.
Hawking, who has a motor neurone disease, made the comments to Dara O’Briain for an upcoming piece for the BBC.
"To keep someone alive against their wishes is the ultimate indignity. I would consider assisted suicide only if I were in great pain or felt I had nothing more to contribute but was just a burden to those around me," he told O’Briain, The Telegraph reports.
Though he does feel some discomfort, Hawking make it clear he isn’t in pain and is not contemplating assisted suicide for himself right now.
“I am damned if I'm going to die before I have unravelled more of the universe,” he said.
O’Briain said Hawking gave “impressively honest answers, even to the most direct questions” during the interview.
He asked if he ever feels lonely having to communicate through a synthesizer, and Hawking replied and he does get “very lonely” at times.
“People are afraid to talk to me or don't wait for me to write a response,” he said. “I'm shy and tired at times. I find it difficult to talk to people I don't know."
The interview will air on BBC One on June 15 and is titled Dara O’Briain meets Stephen Hawking.
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