Category Archives: COVID-19

Lisa Blumberg – Medical Rationing: When Disability Bias Hides Behind A Magical “Invisibility” Cloak

bioethics, COVID-19, futility, health disparities, healthcare rationing, life-sustaining treatment, medical discrimination, Our News & Commentary Blog, Sequential Organ Failure Assessment, , ,

Among the rationing plans being discussed to respond to the strain the surge in coronavirus cases is expected to place on the capabilities of hospitals in some cases, the Pittsburgh Model Plan Regarding the Allocation of Scarce Critical Care Resources during a Public Health Emergency (1) is being given the most play. The Plan would … Continue reading Lisa Blumberg – Medical Rationing: When Disability Bias Hides Behind A Magical “Invisibility” Cloak →

NDY’s 24th Anniversary: Never Has the Fight For Our Lives Been More Urgent

better dead than disabled, bioethics, Bob Kafka, COVID-19, healthcare rationing, john callahan, lifeboat ethics, medical discrimination, Our News & Commentary Blog, ,

On this day, April 27, 24 years ago, I was at a national disability rights conference in Dallas. ADAPT organizer Bob Kafka called out to me and said, “I’ve got a name for your group,” a group that increasingly seemed to be needed to combat the growing public sentiment that disabled people are better off … Continue reading NDY’s 24th Anniversary: Never Has the Fight For Our Lives Been More Urgent →

Will Our “SOFA Scores” Become Self-Fulfilling Prophecies?

Andrew Pulrang, ari ne'eman, bioethics, COVID-19, Disability Rights New York, Hastings Center, healthcare rationing, life-ending decisions, lifeboat ethics, medical discrimination, Our News & Commentary Blog, Sequential Organ Failure Assessment, treatment withdrawal, ventilators, , ,

I first wrote on March 17th about my fear that the non-invasive ventilator I use everyday might be taken from me if I sought hospital care during this pandemic. The New York “Ventilator Allocation Guidelines”, developed in 2015 to address shortages in a pandemic, specifically state at page 42: In its consideration to protect vulnerable … Continue reading Will Our “SOFA Scores” Become Self-Fulfilling Prophecies? →

ADAPT’s Bob Kafka Interviews Diane Coleman About NDY & COVID-19 On Barrier Free Futures

ADAPT, bioethics, Bob Kafka, COVID-19, dredf, futility, healthcare rationing, media coverage, Our News & Commentary Blog, , , ,

ADAPT’s Bob Kafka is a long time activist with Not Dead Yet, and is the person who actually suggested our name, based on a running gag in Monty Python and the Holy Grail. The interview excerpted below was broadcast on April 4, 2020 and the audio is archived here. Below is a long excerpt of … Continue reading ADAPT’s Bob Kafka Interviews Diane Coleman About NDY & COVID-19 On Barrier Free Futures →

As the Threat of Triage Grows, Disability Rights Advocacy Is Needed More Than Ever

bioethics, COVID-19, death panels, healthcare rationing, HHS, medical discrimination, Our News & Commentary Blog, ,

On Friday, April 3rd, six leading disability rights attorneys and their respective organizations issued a statement entitled Applying HHS’s Guidance for States and Health Care Providers on Avoiding Disability-Based Discrimination in Treatment Rationing. The statement, which helps to interpret the federal bulletin issued a week earlier, was joined by over 90 organizations, including NDY. One … Continue reading As the Threat of Triage Grows, Disability Rights Advocacy Is Needed More Than Ever →