Category Archives: hospice

Lisa Blumberg: Promoting the Better Dead Than Disabled Ethos to Kids

Canada has the broadest euthanasia law in the world. Both people who are ill and people who have disabilities deemed to cause them to suffer may request that a doctor or nurse practitioner provide them with a drug induced death. (1) Alan Nichols, a 61-year-old man with a history of depression was euthanized, over the … Continue reading Lisa Blumberg: Promoting the Better Dead Than Disabled Ethos to Kids

Disability Activist Stephanie Woodward Quoted In An NY Newspaper Article

An article in the Altamont Enterprise included some great quotes by disability rights activist Stephanie Woodward. Stephanie Woodward, director of advocacy at the Center for Disability Rights, said that “assisted suicide has a discriminatory, disparate impact on disabled people that is deadly and can’t be reversed.” Data from the state of Oregon, where medical aid-in-dying … Continue reading Disability Activist Stephanie Woodward Quoted In An NY Newspaper Article

Bill Peace and Stephen Kuusisto React to “The Crucifixion of Thomas Young” by Chris Hedges

Until last week, I’d never heard of Thomas Young.  But on March 13, Bill Peace published a disturbing post on his Bad Cripple Blog, titled “Thomas Young and Suicide: All the Wrong Questions Asked.“: I have not thought about Thomas Young in quite some time. He was featured in the 2007 documentary Body of War … Continue reading Bill Peace and Stephen Kuusisto React to “The Crucifixion of Thomas Young” by Chris Hedges

A “Must-Read” From Ezekiel Emanuel on Better “End of Life” Care

Right-Wing politics often leave me at a loss for words.  The attacks aimed at Ezekiel Emanuel before and after the passage of what is commonly called “Obamacare” is one of the most bizarre examples.  At the time, Emanuel was Special Advisor for Health Policy to Peter Orszag, acting director of OMB. Emanuel struck me as … Continue reading A “Must-Read” From Ezekiel Emanuel on Better “End of Life” Care

The Atlantic: “Physician-Assisted Suicide Is Not Progressive” by Ira Byock

Ira Byock is a friend and someone whose work is widely respected.  Unlike many people writing on assisted suicide, Ira has spent decades working intimately with patients and their families, giving aid, comfort and treatment to all affected during the final chapter in that patient’s life. Bio blurb from The Nation:  Ira Byock is director of … Continue reading The Atlantic: “Physician-Assisted Suicide Is Not Progressive” by Ira Byock