Category Archives: Our News & Commentary Blog

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Lisa Blumberg Published In the Sun Sentinel Regarding COVID-19 Healthcare Discrimination

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We’re all in this together, including the disabled By LISA BLUMBERG SPECIAL TO THE SUN SENTINEL AUG 14, 2020 Florida may be the epicenter of COVID-19 with the number of confirmed cases skyrocketing over 500,000, but over 80% of states are seeing increased cases. While many of the young and able-bodied chafe at wearing masks and forgoing the … Continue reading Lisa Blumberg Published In the Sun Sentinel Regarding COVID-19 Healthcare Discrimination →

John Kelly: Older, ill and disabled people deserve choice-promoting services, supports

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The Greenfield Recorder published John Kelly’s letter opposing the Massachusetts assisted suicide bill on August 12. This excellent letter speaks for itself. Older, ill and disabled people deserve choice-promoting services, supports By JOHN B. KELLY I disagree with Joan Milnes’s call for passage of the assisted suicide bill now in the legislature (“Making a final choice … Continue reading John Kelly: Older, ill and disabled people deserve choice-promoting services, supports →

Michael Hickson: Disability Organizations Challenge Medical Futility & Surrogate Decisions

ADAPT, bioethics, ethics committee, futile care, futility, Health care decision-making, healthcare rationing, life-ending decisions, life-sustaining treatment, medical discrimination, Michael Hickson, national council on independent living, Our News & Commentary Blog, surrogate decision making, Surrogate Decisions & Guardianship, treatment withdrawal, , , ,

On July 24th, ADAPT of Texas filed a complaint with the federal Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights (OCR) concerning the death of Michael Hickson, a Black Disabled man, at St. David’s South Austin Medical Center. The complaint called for . . . “. . . an investigation of St David’s … Continue reading Michael Hickson: Disability Organizations Challenge Medical Futility & Surrogate Decisions →

NCIL Membership Adopts Resolution Opposing Health Insurers’ Use of QALYs

Our News & Commentary Blog

The membership of the National Council on Independent Living unanimously adopted a Resolution Opposing the Use of QALYs (Quality Adjusted Life Years) in all decisions concerning health care coverage. The Resolution was jointly developed by Not Dead Yet and the Autistic Self Advocacy Network for consideration in conjunction with NCIL’s Annual Conference held virtually beginning … Continue reading NCIL Membership Adopts Resolution Opposing Health Insurers’ Use of QALYs →

Carol Cleigh Sutton: How Deeply Ableist is Mainstream Media?

ableism, better dead than disabled, bioethics, Carol Cleigh Sutton, COVID-19, futility, health disparities, healthcare rationing, media bias, Michael Hickson, Our News & Commentary Blog, , ,

A man named Michael Hickson died on June 11, 2020. He was denied food an fluids for 6 days. He was a Black man. His death occurred in a climate of national discussion about the killing of Black men. His wife, Melissa, has ample evidence that his death was deliberate and was the result of … Continue reading Carol Cleigh Sutton: How Deeply Ableist is Mainstream Media? →