On Sunday, January 20th, the National Association of the Deaf (NAD) and the American Association of the Deaf-Blind issued a joint statement in response to the euthanasia of deaf twins in Belgium who were losing their vision.
The National Association of the Deaf (NAD), the premier civil rights organization for deaf and hard of hearing individuals in the United States, and the American Association of the Deaf-Blind (AADB), the national consumer organization dedicated to the rights of the deaf-blind community, join forces to express their grave concerns that a national government has failed to provide meaningful support in life for its citizens, particularly those who are deaf and becoming blind as well as taking on other disabilities.
These concerns relate to Belgium, where deaf twins Marc and Eddy Verbessem had sought voluntary euthanasia, persisted in seeking it after their initial request was denied, and ultimately secured this tragic result.
Read the rest of the joint statement here.