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The doctor said it would be better if I didn’t survive

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… as I would be a “vegetable” if I did By Stephen Drake I was born in 1955. I developed hydrocephalus as a result of injury from forceps used in a breech delivery. Right after I was born, I was whisked away by the medical team. My parents didn’t get to see me or hear anything much about me for hours. Finally, the doctor who delivered me and caused the injury told my parents it would be better if I didn’t survive as I would be a “vegetable” if I d…

NDY Discussed at “Bisexuality Across Cultures Event” – the Message AND the Messenger Matter!

assisted suicide, california, discrimination, lgbt, Our News & Commentary Blog

I was at a conference last week and will be writing about that later today. In the meantime, I wanted to share a few excerpts from Indybay.org, about a “Bisexuality Across Cultures” event held on May 27th. Assisted suicide, euthanasia and NDY came up in this event. Here’s the intro: The Bisexual Forum of San Diego County hosted an event May 27 called “Bisexuality Across Cultures” that highlighted self-identified Bisexuals from Europe, Mexico and …

Chicago NDY Confronts Chicago “End of Life” Care Coalition and Barbara Coombs Lee

"end of life", activism, assisted suicide, barbara coombs lee, final exit network, Our News & Commentary Blog, reality check

On Monday, April 20, the Chicago “End of Life” Care Coalition hosted an event titled “Options in ‘End of Life’ Care: The Legal, the Personal and the Controversial.” Eyebrows – and tempers – rose in the disability community when the conference flyer came out. For the past couple of months, the biggest “end of life” story in Chicago has been the coverage of the Final Exit Network (FEN) – a bunch of “special” people who devote their spare time to ho…

Catching Up – Last Week a Busy One for ADAPT

activism, ADAPT, final exit network, Our News & Commentary Blog

I apologize (again) for the unannounced hiatus here. Last week, I was doing my part to do press work, and get the word out in various fora (with the exception of this one obviously) about the national ADAPT Action in Washington, DC. NDY allies within the disability community are well aware of our involvement and concern with broader disability rights issues, but it often comes as a surprise to people outside of the community. These are the people…

NDY Files Disability Amicus Brief in Montana with Four Other National Disability Rights Groups

ADAPT, amicus brief, assisted suicide, court decisions, dredf, Montana, national council on independent living, national spinal cord injury association, Our News & Commentary Blog

Last week, amicus briefs were filed with the Montana Supreme Court – supporting an appeal by the state Attorney General to reverse a lower court decision that assisted suicide is a “constitutional right” in that state. Due to a variety of factors, NDY was unable to get word out to the media when our brief was filed. The brief, available in rtf format here, was filed on behalf on Not Dead Yet, ADAPT, Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund, N…