Category: Joan Cavanagh

“Thoughts on Medical Assisted Suicide” to stream online July 23rd-30th, 2025 In honor of the 35th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which was signed into law on July 26, 1990, the new 36-minute film, “Thoughts on Medical Assisted Suicide” will be available for viewing online at Https://pamasprogressives.org from Wednesday July 23rd through Wednesday […]

Thanks to those who have contributed funds, ideas, and/or moral support, the Progressives Against Medical Assisted Suicide (PAMAS) film about the social and humanitarian dangers of legalizing medical assisted suicide is on target for completion by the end of the year. On September 16th, four interviews were filmed, each powerful in its own way. We […]

[Editor’s note: Not Dead Yet endorses and is supporting this film project.] By Joan Cavanagh, Member, Progressives Against Medical Assisted Suicide Public discussion about the realities of Medical Assisted Suicide (MAS) is critical. The practice is increasingly becoming normalized as a “health care” option and already inadequate safeguards and restrictions in existing laws are being […]

It’s very rare to see even lengthy articles about assisted suicide include more than relatively brief acknowledgement of opposing voices from the disability community and rarer still from other progressives. Therefore, we were impressed to see the Yale University student newspaper, The New Journal, publish an extensive pro/con article by Anouk Yeh featuring substantial discussion […]

Progressives Against Medical Assisted Suicide Holds Press Conference; Members Testify at Public Hearing on February 27th Progressives Against Medical Assisted Suicide held a press conference at the Legislative Office Building in Hartford, CT on February 27th, just prior to a public hearing before the Public Health Committee to discuss this year’s proposed Connecticut assisted suicide […]

Seven activists identifying as “Progressives Against Medical Assisted Suicide” presented an alternative viewpoint at a screening of “Prescription for Peace of Mind: An Option for the Terminally Ill” at the New Haven Free Public Library on Wednesday, August 11. The seven held signs reading “Suicide is Not a Medical Treatment” and “Medical Assisted Suicide threatens […]

I am tired of reading stories in the Mirror and elsewhere that minimize or hardly bother to mention the strong opposition to Assisted Suicide legislation that has been successfully spearheaded by Second Thoughts Connecticut and is embraced by many progressives and other disability rights activists. The slick and well-funded marketing campaigns of the Hemlock Society […]

In response to a rally sponsored by the Connecticut Catholic Public Affairs Conference, Second Thoughts Connecticut held a counter protest objecting to the Catholic group’s linking of support for pregnancy care centers with opposition to assisted suicide. According to Second Thoughts CT’s press release: Stephen Mendelsohn, a member of Second Thoughts Connecticut, said, “By mixing […]

[Published in the CTPost on April 1, 2021, and New Haven Register April 3.] State needs health care, not “death with dignity” Joan Cavanagh Apr 1, 2021 Anyone who has been with loved ones facing serious, painful illness will empathize deeply with the testimonies in Ed Stannard’s Sunday, March 21 article. I have. And I […]

For the 5th time in 7 years, disability rights advocates, led by Second Thoughts CT , have thwarted a Connecticut bill – this time it was HB 5898 – to legalize assisted suicide. Not Dead Yet provided testimony and social media support, and New England Regional Director John Kelly joined the radio show “The Full […]