Category Archives: rush to judgment

Haleigh Poutre’s New Life and the Flawed Lessons People are Taking Away From Her Story

bioethics, haleigh poutre, Our News & Commentary Blog, right to die, rush to judgment, Surrogate Decisions & Guardianship, thaddeus pope, Wesley Smith, , , , , , , ,

Readers of this blog will hopefully remember the story of Haleigh Poutre, a child in Massachusetts who was abused and then neglected, failed and abandoned by just about every professional whose job it was to act to safeguard her welfare and safety.  She became the subject of a life and death* court battle that sanctioned … Continue reading Haleigh Poutre’s New Life and the Flawed Lessons People are Taking Away From Her Story →

John Kelly Talks About the Tim Bowers Case

john kelly, life-ending decisions, national council on disability, ncd, Our News & Commentary Blog, quadriplegia, rush to judgment, spinal cord injury, suicide prevention, Tim Bowers, ventilator

On December 5, 2013, NDY’s John Kelly talked about the Tim Bowers case during public comments he provided by telephone to the National Council on Disability.  Bowers is the Indiana hunter who was injured in a fall and died the next day when he told doctors to stop life support.  John requested the Council’s help … Continue reading John Kelly Talks About the Tim Bowers Case →

NY Lawsuit Claims Organ Donor Network Engaged in ‘Shameful Practices,’ Pressuring Staff and Families

brain death, brain injury, litigation, New York Organ Donor Network, organ donation, organ transplants, Our News & Commentary Blog, rush to judgment

There’s a potentially explosive lawsuit that’s gotten limited coverage so far.  As near as I can tell, the first story on it was published in the New York Post on September 26 of this year.  Here’s an excerpt from the news story in the Post: The New York Organ Donor Network pressured hospital staffers to … Continue reading NY Lawsuit Claims Organ Donor Network Engaged in ‘Shameful Practices,’ Pressuring Staff and Families →

Bill Peace’s Hastings Center Article (on a disturbing hospital experience) and Three Commentaries Are All Online

"end of life", bioethics, devaluation, life-ending decisions, medical bigotry, medical discrimination, Our News & Commentary Blog, palliative care, rush to judgment, william peace

As of today, Bill Peace’s essay “Comfort Care as Denial of Personhood” is online – and accompanied by three commentaries available at the Hasting Center Bioethics Blog. Here’s what we wrote before about the experience at the center of Bill’s essay: Back in 2010, our friend, colleague and ally Bill Peace, experienced a long, expensive … Continue reading Bill Peace’s Hastings Center Article (on a disturbing hospital experience) and Three Commentaries Are All Online →

Study: Treatment Withdrawal & Death for Patients with Severe Brain Injury Vary By Hospital

"miracles", brain injury, Canada, coma, medical decisionmaking, organ donation, Our News & Commentary Blog, recovery, research, rush to judgment, thaddeus pope

Once again, an item featured on Thaddeus Pope‘s Medical Futility Blog turned out to be something that I wanted to explore in greater detail than the brief blurb given on his blog, in his September 10th post, Hospitals Vary in How Quickly LST Is Stopped: In “Mortality associated with withdrawal of life-sustaining therapy for patients … Continue reading Study: Treatment Withdrawal & Death for Patients with Severe Brain Injury Vary By Hospital →