All posts by Stephen Drake

Suicide Promotion During Suicide Prevention Week – Blog from Wesley Smith and a Little More from Me

assisted suicide, final exit network, lanny berman, national suicide prevention week, Our News & Commentary Blog, suicide, suicide prevention, Wesley Smith, world suicide prevention day

Wesley Smith posted his own follow-up to yesterday’s post  –  I discussed how there seems to be an awful lot of news dedicated to the promotion of suicide during the so-called “National Suicide Prevention Week.” It’s been obvious to a number of us who’ve been dealing with these issues that the suicide prevention community has … Continue reading Suicide Promotion During Suicide Prevention Week – Blog from Wesley Smith and a Little More from Me →

Why is there so much suicide promotion during National Suicide Prevention Week?

assisted suicide, barbara coombs lee, Compassion & Choices, euthanasia, Massachusetts, national suicide prevention week, Netherlands, Oregon, Our News & Commentary Blog, reality check, suicide prevention, UK, world suicide prevention day

You’d never know it’s National Suicide Prevention Week (Sept. 4 – 10), or that Saturday, Sept. 10th is World Suicide Prevention Day.  But then again, as I’ve written before, it’s been increasingly clear that the Suicide Prevention Community has washed its hands of old, ill and disabled people – and surrendered at risk individuals in … Continue reading Why is there so much suicide promotion during National Suicide Prevention Week? →

Disability Rights Iowa Accuses Governor of Abandoning Those in Nursing Homes to Greater Abuse and Neglect

abuse, Back Door Euthanasia, deregulation, disability rights iowa, iowa, neglect, nursing homes, Our News & Commentary Blog, politics, Tea Party

There’s a really disturbing story out of Iowa that could be the tip of the iceberg in terms of what could be playing out nationally in the current economic and political climate. Clark Kauffman, of the Des Moines Register, writes that Group says Branstad actions cause nursing home deaths:  An organization that advocates for disabled … Continue reading Disability Rights Iowa Accuses Governor of Abandoning Those in Nursing Homes to Greater Abuse and Neglect →

Guest Blog: Paul Timmons – It’s Time to Stop Playing Nice With the Emergency Management Community After Continued Failure to Serve Disabled Disaster Victims

emergency management, fema, Inc., Our News & Commentary Blog, Paul Timmons, Portlight Strategies, red cross, susan dooha

 Shortly after posting Susan Dooha’s blog post on the lack of accessibility she encountered in emergency shelters during Hurricane Irene, I asked a friend and colleague if he’d be interested in writing a reaction/followup to Susan’s post.  Paul Timmons has a lot of experience with disaster relief – what entities such as the Red Cross … Continue reading Guest Blog: Paul Timmons – It’s Time to Stop Playing Nice With the Emergency Management Community After Continued Failure to Serve Disabled Disaster Victims →

CNN: “Choosing death can be like a ‘birth,’ advocates say” – NDY and NCD perspectives included

assisted suicide, barbara coombs lee, cnn, Compassion & Choices, Conflation and Con jobs, media coverage, national council on disability, ncd, Oregon, Our News & Commentary Blog

Two interesting and fairly unusual related things happened over the last two weeks. First, CNN reporter Elizabeth Landau contacted both NDY and the National Council on Disability (NCD) for interviews in connection to a story on assisted suicide.  This was surprising considering that when CNN ran a mini-media tour with Jack Kevorkian during the promotion … Continue reading CNN: “Choosing death can be like a ‘birth,’ advocates say” – NDY and NCD perspectives included →