Category Archives: Lisa Blumberg

When Disaster Strikes Everyone, the Partnership for Inclusive Disaster Strategies Is There for Us

ableism, better dead than disabled, emergency management, Katrina, Lisa Blumberg, Our News & Commentary Blog, Partnership for Inclusive Disaster Strategies, , ,

By Lisa Blumberg In a widespread disaster grievously impacting people in general, people who happen to have disabilities tend to be invisible. This may partly stem from the “better dead than disabled” ethos. If a disability is considered to irretrievably diminish the quality and value of your life, why be concerned about other problems could … Continue reading When Disaster Strikes Everyone, the Partnership for Inclusive Disaster Strategies Is There for Us →

Lisa Blumberg: Denying Access to Food and Water Based on Disability Status

advance directives, better dead than disabled, brain injury, death by starvation and dehydration, dementia, Lisa Blumberg, Our News & Commentary Blog, thaddeus pope, VSED, , , ,

It’s Faustian – giving a nondisabled or slightly disabled person a chance to deny themselves access to food and water if they become significantly disabled and have resulting functional impairments. End of Life Choices New York, a leading supporter of legalized assisted suicide, has developed an “Advance Directive for Receiving Oral Feeding and Fluids in … Continue reading Lisa Blumberg: Denying Access to Food and Water Based on Disability Status →

Lisa Blumberg: A Classic Case of Lethal Denial of Medical Treatment Based On Disability

ableism, access to health care, death by starvation and dehydration, developmental disabilities, DNR, futility, life-sustaining treatment, Lisa Blumberg, medical neglect, Our News & Commentary Blog, , , , ,

Trisomy 18 is a genetic condition that usually results in physical health problems and cognitive limitations. Life expectancy is currently shorter than typical but people can live into their 20’s and 30’s and one American with trisomy 18, Megan Hayes, celebrated her fortieth birthday with fanfare. Unfortunately, it seems that this information has been slow … Continue reading Lisa Blumberg: A Classic Case of Lethal Denial of Medical Treatment Based On Disability →

Assisted Suicide Laws Based On the Oregon Model Sweep In Disabled People

"death with dignity", aid in dying, Anorexia Nervosa, assisted suicide, barbara coombs lee, better dead than disabled, Compassion & Choices, health disparities, Lisa Blumberg, Our News & Commentary Blog, Vincenzo Piscopo, , , , ,

By Lisa Blumberg, JD In 2014, in connection with whether assisted suicide laws would ever be expanded to include people with cognitive  decline, Barbara Coombs Lee, then director of Compassion & Choices, said, “It is an issue for another day but is no less compelling.” This was a momentary slip. The political strategy of Compassion … Continue reading Assisted Suicide Laws Based On the Oregon Model Sweep In Disabled People →

A Watershed Moment: NIH Designates Disabled People as a Health Disparity Population

ableism, access to health care, better dead than disabled, health disparities, Lisa Blumberg, medical discrimination, Our News & Commentary Blog, ,

By Lisa Blumberg, JD In late 2023, the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD), designated people with disabilities as a population with health disparities for research supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). This means that NIMHD now recognizes that people with disabilities as a group experience significant disparities in their rates of … Continue reading A Watershed Moment: NIH Designates Disabled People as a Health Disparity Population →