Emmerdale spinal cord injury suicide condemned for 'sensational misrepresentation'RSS Feed

British soap Emmerdale has been accused of missing an opportunity to challenge misguided opinions about spinal cord injury by leading experts.

Last week's assisted suicide of spinal injury victim Jackson Walsh, played by Marc Silcock, was widely condemned by viewers and spinal injury charity Aspire.

Ofcom received complaints from viewers distressed that the scenes had been aired before the watershed, while charities condemned inaccuracies in the ITV1 show's portrayal, claiming that writers had been more concerned with ratings than reality.

Aspire director of services Alex Rankin said: "Too often, the script has opted for poor stereotypes or sensational misrepresentation.

"I sincerely hope that the 1,200 people who will be paralysed by spinal cord injuries this year, and their families, do not find themselves believing that Jackson's story represents their future."

He added that the storyline had the potential to be "groundbreaking" and to "challenge misguided opinions".

Emmerdale producers invited Aspire representatives to air their concerns about the show at offices in London some months ago, prior to the storyline being aired.

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