I just came across a brilliant letter that John Kelly sent to the Washington, D.C. Council when they were considering an assisted suicide bill in 2016. I should have posted it here then, but I am doing so now (lightly edited), because it’s one of the best discussions I’ve read of the core problem that … Continue reading The Extreme Ableism of Assisted Suicide
Dr. Ira Byock, a specialist in palliative care, a progressive Democrat and an opponent of assisted suicide laws has stated, “When doctor-induced death becomes an accepted response to the suffering of dying people, logical extensions grease the slippery slope.” (1) Supporters of such laws have written, “It is reasonable to proceed incrementally…Thus, the restriction of … Continue reading Lisa Blumberg: Life, Liberty and Security in Canada – Is this the way we are headed?
The National Council on Disability (NCD) has issued the second in a series of reports on Bioethics and Disability. NCD’s release on the report today focuses on “a federal examination of the country’s assisted suicide laws and their effect on people with disabilities, finding the laws’ safeguards are ineffective and oversight of abuses and mistakes … Continue reading Federal study finds assisted suicide laws rife with dangers to people with disabilities
ASSISTED SUICIDE What can seem like dignity can turn out to be anything but I sympathize with Bobbi Jacobsen (“I have ALS, and I hope for a dignified death,” Opinion Exchange, Sept. 24). Like her, I became severely disabled as an adult. But I oppose assisted suicide: It’s too dangerous. Assisted suicide can look appealing from … Continue reading Minneapolis Star Tribune Publishes John Kelly’s Excellent Letter
John L’Heureux was a prolific writer and former Stanford professor who died April 22nd in California. His wife, Joan L’Heureux, initially told the New York Times that the cause was complications of Parkinson’s disease (1). Within a few days, though, the New Yorker published an essay by L’Heureux on why he would die by assisted … Continue reading Lisa Blumberg: Assisted Suicide California Style
