All posts by Stephen Drake

Netherlands: One-third of Doctors Willing to Euthanize Patients with Early Dementia

dementia, euthanasia, media coverage, media issues, Netherlands, Our News & Commentary Blog, reality check, research

Dutch media are framing the latest survey of medical professionals somewhat differently than I have in the headline here.  Radio Netherlands titles their story “Dutch doctors wary of euthanasia for dementia,” while DutchNews.nl features the title “Doctors reluctant to help patients with dementia die.” Both news entitities take pains to minimize the percentage of doctors … Continue reading Netherlands: One-third of Doctors Willing to Euthanize Patients with Early Dementia →

Crippen’s Blog – “Making assisted suicide more accessible?”

assisted suicide, blog recommendations, crippen, euthanasia, Our News & Commentary Blog, United Kingdom

Crippen Cartoonist (aka Dave Lupton) is a brilliant cartoonist and a disability rights activist.  In my current mode of “catch-up,” I want to point people to his latest blog entry, which as usual, features cartoon, with click-able full text description.  The latest entry is titled “Making assisted suicide more accessible?!”  Here are the first few … Continue reading Crippen’s Blog – “Making assisted suicide more accessible?” →

Two recent cases show what it takes to screw up a “mercy killing” defense

crime and punishment, homicide, Homicide / 'Mercy Killing', murder, Our News & Commentary Blog

As anyone who follows the news of old, ill, and disabled people who get killed by family members or “caregivers,” it’s all to clear that if the perpetrator claims the act was a “mercy killing,” it’s frequently a successful defense strategy.  The public tends to believe that the victim would have wanted to die, even … Continue reading Two recent cases show what it takes to screw up a “mercy killing” defense →

American Medical News – “Kevorkian leaves mixed legacy” (NDY Quoted)

American Medical News, assisted suicide, bioethics, disabilities, Kevorkian, Our News & Commentary Blog, stephen drake, Timothy Quill

Since I was interviewed for this article in American Medical News, I was actively looking for its appearance online this morning.  The interview with the reporter lasted almost 45 minutes and covered a lot of ground, most of which didn’t get included in this relatively short article.  It is an attempt to explore the “legacy” … Continue reading American Medical News – “Kevorkian leaves mixed legacy” (NDY Quoted) →

The American Muslim (publication) – “Euthanasia: a Modest Proposal” by Rev. Frank Julian Gelli

assisted suicide, dignitas, euthanasia, modest proposal, Our News & Commentary Blog, Rev. Frank Julian Gelli, satire, soylent green, Terry Pratchett, The American Muslim

It’s been a long couple of weeks.  The month started with the death of Jack Kevorkian and a nonstop barrage of eulogizing and mythologizing his life.  This week, we had the sorry spectacle of Terry Pratchett’s “infomercial” on assisted suicide featuring the spectacle of another rich disabled man drinking some poison and dying on camera. … Continue reading The American Muslim (publication) – “Euthanasia: a Modest Proposal” by Rev. Frank Julian Gelli →