Things are a little behind here, in terms of posting and commenting on news items. On Sunday, September 16th, Diane Coleman and Steve Gold were quoted in a Seattle Times article titled “Some favor slower right to die for paralyzed.” Not the best title, but a predictable one. An alternative and accurate title might have … Continue reading Diane Coleman and Steve Gold in Seattle Times Story
I recently attended a medical ethics seminar held at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago that reaffirmed medical practice guidelines about brain injury. Doctors continue to agree that it is necessary to wait before they can predict brain injury outcomes with reasonable, though they also admit not total, certainty. For traumatic brain injury (e.g. car accidents), … Continue reading Rush to Judgment Ends Lives of Newly Disabled
Last week, during the national ADAPT Action here in Chicago, several people forwarded one of those stories that brought to mind Yogi Berra’s “This is like deja vu all over again.” The story that provoked this “I’ve seen this before” feeling was about Jill Finley, who came out of a coma – 14 days after … Continue reading Miracles, Malpractice, Survivors and Recovery
Last summer, we received news about a local guardianship case. It’s the kind of case that deserves greater attention than it got at the time. This particular case was handled by Equip for Equality (EFE), the Illinois organization that is part of the national, congressionally-mandated Protection & Advocacy Network. This is an important case – … Continue reading What Happens When Someone Wants Life-Saving Treatment, But Their Guardian Disagrees?
Given the national publicity surrounding the death of Ruben Navarro, I thought the time could be ripe for a renewed discussion of the ethics surrounding the increasing implementation of the “non heart-beating donor” protocol. According to Maurice Bernstein, on his bioethics discussion blog, there’s a bunch of ethicists discussing whether or not the public is … Continue reading NY Times Story on NHBD – Selling instead of Reporting
