Category Archives: better dead than disabled

Video of Shonda McLaughlin’s Personal Story of Disability Discrimination

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NDY board officer Shonda McLaughlin shared her personal story of discrimination during ADAPT’s celebration of the reintroduction of the Disability Integration Act on Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birthday January 15th. John Kelly, NDY’s New England Regional Director, captured a video of her remarks, which he said “personalize the ‘better dead than disabled’ mindset, and embody … Continue reading Video of Shonda McLaughlin’s Personal Story of Disability Discrimination →

W. Carol Cleigh: Bigotry in the BDTD (Better Dead Than Disabled) Movement

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I’ve been saying for years that the movement to legalize assisted suicide and euthanasia is a loaded gun aimed directly at people with long-term disabilities (http://notdeadyet.org/2014/01/guest-blog-by-w-carol-cleigh-not-paying-attention.html). Though I usually value being proved correct, not so much in this case. But the blatant bigotry I’ve recently seen in that movement surprised even me. I attended a … Continue reading W. Carol Cleigh: Bigotry in the BDTD (Better Dead Than Disabled) Movement →

Carol Cleigh Sutton: I Oppose Assisted Suicide and Euthanasia Because It Is Ableist

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The very heart of the argument for assisted suicide/euthanasia (AS/E) is that an individual may be better off dead than disabled. The fact that this argument can be made in respectable public forums demonstrates just how ableist this society is. How deeply the severely abled fear and loathe those of us who live with disability. … Continue reading Carol Cleigh Sutton: I Oppose Assisted Suicide and Euthanasia Because It Is Ableist →

NDY Statement on the First Anniversary of the Sagamihara Murders

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[Editor’s note: Disability advocates in Japan requested this Statement which was written by Stephen Drake, NDY’s Research Analyst, and will be translated and read during a ceremony to be held on July 26, 2017 honoring the victims of the Sagamihara murders.] One year ago, 19 disabled people were brutally stabbed to death by a young … Continue reading NDY Statement on the First Anniversary of the Sagamihara Murders →

Anita Cameron: 5 Mistaken Reasons Why People Want Doctor Prescribed Suicide

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I sometimes hear these thoughts and feelings expressed, so I want to share my responses. 1.  I want the freedom, choice and the right to end my life when I want to. That freedom and choice already exists. When the pain of an illness gets to be too much, you can decide using a number … Continue reading Anita Cameron: 5 Mistaken Reasons Why People Want Doctor Prescribed Suicide →