(Thanks to Denise Karuth for the heads up on this) “Silent Minds” by Jerome Groopman is in the latest edition of the New Yorker magazine. It’s a summary of the research into the consciousness of people labeled with persistent vegetative state (PVS) and minimally conscious state (MCS). Much of it will be familiar to readers … Continue reading New Yorker: “Silent Minds” – article on PVS research and consciousness
As usual, I’m a little late catching up with some of the news. Last week, Art Caplan emailed me a link to his latest column, describing a disturbing report issued by the Department of Health and Human Services. As usual, when writing on this topic, he is right on target in describing the problem: A … Continue reading FDA, Lack of Oversight and Doctors Who Break the Law
The Associated Press presents a challenge to those of us concerned with media coverage. With the growth of electronic media and the downsizing of newsroom staffs, the Associated Press and other wire services play an increasingly dominant role in reporting stories and framing the relevant issues contained in those stories. When they get things wrong, … Continue reading AP Reporter Does Sloppy and Superficial Job on Battin Story
Today’s edition of the Daily Utah Chronicle, the student newspaper of the University of Utah, has yet another story on Battin’s study titled “Assisted suicide not more common for poor.” The reporter contacted us last week, and more of our critique is present in this article: One argument against physician-assisted suicide is that it will … Continue reading Battin, Quill Use “Research” for Political Purposes
Well, big “news” broke yesterday with the announcement of the publication of a study that claims to put an end to any idea of “abuses” under assisted suicide and euthanasia laws in Oregon and the Netherlands, respectively. The lead author is Margaret Battin, who is a long-time advocate of legalization of assisted suicide and euthanasia, … Continue reading Latest Pro-Euthanasia Research Makes Headlines by Redefining Slippery Slope and Use of Soft Data
