All posts by Stephen Drake

Diane Coleman Counters Support for Assisted Suicide with Reality Check in Her Hometown Paper

assisted suicide, kalamazoo, Kevorkian, margaret dore, media coverage, michigan, Our News & Commentary Blog

(Editor’s note – this should have been posted over a week ago.  The timelag between the writing of this post and the publishing on the blog is entirely my responsibility.  –SD) I grew up in Kalamazoo, Michigan, so when the Kalamazoo Gazette’s October 1st edition featured three opinion pieces supporting assisted suicide, I had to … Continue reading Diane Coleman Counters Support for Assisted Suicide with Reality Check in Her Hometown Paper →

Train Wrecks and Being Bushwacked in the Land of Oz – Bill Peace, Danny Robert and Nadina LaSpina report on the Oz Show

als, assisted suicide, blog recommendations, Danny Robert, Dr. Oz, infotainment, ira byock, media coverage, media issues, Nadina LaSpina, Our News & Commentary Blog, ventilator, william peace

As we reported last week, several NDYers and other disability activists went to the taping of the “Dr. Oz” show on assisted suicide.  We were able to share the impressions of a disabled man who is part of the Final Exit Network (FEN) who came away feeling that the staff of the show was dishonest … Continue reading Train Wrecks and Being Bushwacked in the Land of Oz – Bill Peace, Danny Robert and Nadina LaSpina report on the Oz Show →

Dr. Oz Show – A Disabled FEN Member Doesn’t Like How He Was Treated, Either

disrespect, Dr. Oz, entertainment, final exit network, Kurt Perry, media issues, misrepresentation, Our News & Commentary Blog

 I hope to have some first-hand accounts up by Monday next week from NDYers and other disability activists who went to the taping of the Dr. Oz show on assisted suicide.  While extensive edits have to be done on the show to shorten it to fit available air time, all reports so far say that … Continue reading Dr. Oz Show – A Disabled FEN Member Doesn’t Like How He Was Treated, Either →

Media Alert – Looks Like “Dr. Oz” Is Planning Slanted Show on Assisted Suicide

assisted suicide, barbara coombs lee, Dr. Oz, ira byock, keith ablow, media coverage, media issues, Our News & Commentary Blog, right to die

There’s a major problem with shows hosted by medical professionals.  On the one hand, viewers are encouraged to believe that due to the professional credentials of the host, any discussion of a complicated topic treated on that show is going to meet some kind of high professional standard. The truth is, though, that such shows … Continue reading Media Alert – Looks Like “Dr. Oz” Is Planning Slanted Show on Assisted Suicide →

India – Newest Case of Person Demanding Treatment/Money or Euthanasia (“Your Money or My Life”)

access to health care, assisted suicide, court decisions, euthanasia, health disparities, India, Our News & Commentary Blog, thaddeus pope, your money or my life

Lately it seems like I’ve been drawing quite a bit on material from the Thaddeus Pope‘s Medical Futility Blog. Mostly it’s because Pope is really good at digging out stories that fly under the radar of most of us. More than occasionally, he’ll write something that is too tempting to ignore.That’s true with his latest … Continue reading India – Newest Case of Person Demanding Treatment/Money or Euthanasia (“Your Money or My Life”) →