All posts by Stephen Drake

Disability and Ethics Conference This Weekend – Low Expectations Based on Past Performance

"end of life", activism, alicia ouellette, bioethics, conferences, haleigh poutre, Our News & Commentary Blog, politics, schiavo

On July 13, 2006, about 40 disability activists protested a bioethics conference in Albany, NY.  The picture above shows 7 of the protesters (there were about 40 in total) who successfully invaded the conference, holding signs and chanting “Nothing About Us Without Us!” Here’s an excerpt from our flyer for the protest: Disability activists are … Continue reading Disability and Ethics Conference This Weekend – Low Expectations Based on Past Performance →

Connecticut: Assisted Suicide Advocates Attempt to Exploit Tragic Murder-Suicide

assisted suicide, barbara coombs lee, bullshit, Compassion & Choices, Conflation and Con jobs, Connecticut, exploitation, homicide, kathryn tucker, Our News & Commentary Blog, reality check

On Monday of this week (May 10), there was one of those all-too-familiar tragedies that appear in the news on a regular basis.  In the one of the earliest and most comprehensive articles covering the story, reporter Ann DeMatteo wrote an article titled “North Haven deaths believed to be murder-suicide“: NORTH HAVEN — A well-known … Continue reading Connecticut: Assisted Suicide Advocates Attempt to Exploit Tragic Murder-Suicide →

Update on Oral Argument in Pennsylvania Supreme Court Guardianship Case

court decisions, litigation, Our News & Commentary Blog, Pennsylvania, Surrogate Decisions & Guardianship

Last week, this blog reported about scheduled oral arguments in front of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court regarding the limits on a guardian’s powers – specifically, whether or not guardians have the right to refuse life-preserving treatment – treatment needed to save the life of a person legally lacking decisionmaking capacity and who is neither dying … Continue reading Update on Oral Argument in Pennsylvania Supreme Court Guardianship Case →

The “Right to Die” Expands Into New Territory

"end of life", crime and punishment, death penalty, euthanasia, legislation, life-ending decisions, media coverage, media issues, Our News & Commentary Blog, reality check, right to die

Sometimes I think I’ve lost the capacity to be surprised by new developments.  I tend to think I’ve grown so jaded that nothing that comes up can really surprise me.  I think that in spite of the fact that I do get surprised on occasion. This week’s collision with surrealism came in the form of … Continue reading The “Right to Die” Expands Into New Territory →

Ms. Magazine Blogger Praises Kevorkian, Disses People With Disabilities, and Angers Some Feminists With Disabilities

blog recommendations, bloggers, culture wars, feminism, Kevorkian, media coverage, Ms Magazine, Our News & Commentary Blog, reality check

(Note – I’m still trying to process the briefs in the Pennsylvania Hockenberry case.  No word on the oral arguments yet.  I’m hoping for some reports and/or press coverage by tomorrow.) Last week, I was alerted about a blog entry on the HBO biopic You Don’t Know Jack that was published on the site of … Continue reading Ms. Magazine Blogger Praises Kevorkian, Disses People With Disabilities, and Angers Some Feminists With Disabilities →