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Category: quality of life judgments

Jensen Caraballo: The Misguided Compassion of Assisted Suicide in Disability

Introduction Assisted suicide is often presented as a compassionate choice for those experiencing unbearable suffering. However, as someone who has navigated life’s challenges as a disability rights advocate and someone who was once confined to a nursing home, I see a troubling oversight in this narrative. It fails to consider the systemic barriers that prevent […]

Disability Rights Coalition Challenges Discriminatory Sections of Canada’s Assisted Dying Law in Court

[Belatedly sharing good news from Inclusion Canada] PRESS RELEASE: Disability Rights Coalition Challenges Discriminatory Sections of Canada’s Assisted Dying Law in Court September 26, 2024, 10:30 a.m. ET TORONTO, ON – A coalition of disability rights organizations and two personally affected individuals have filed a Charter challenge with the Ontario Superior Court of Justice. They […]

Lisa Blumberg: Brain Injured Are Denied Life Sustaining Treatment Too Early

  A 2007 Not Dead Yet blog described “rush to judgment” cases where people who had sustained a major brain injury were denied life sustaining treatment before appropriate time had passed to determine if they could become conscious. It referred to an article co-authored by Dr. Joel Frader, now a member of the Northwestern Center […]

NDY Comment on Comment on Proposed Texas Futility Regulations

July 12, 2024 HHS Office of Inspector General – Chief Counsel Division P.O. Box 85200 Austin, Texas 78708 Email: IG_Rules_Comments_Inbox@hhsc.state.tx.us RE: Proposed Regulations published in the June 14, 2024 Texas Register Dear Chief Counsel: Not Dead Yet is a national disability rights organization focused on combatting disability- based healthcare discrimination, particularly in the context of […]

Lisa Blumberg: Whether Suicide Can Be Rational Is the Wrong Question

In the article “Rational Suicide in Later Life: A Systematic Review of the Literature” in the National Library of Medicine, the authors reviewed 23 studies on “rational suicide” with the stated aim of better understanding the concept of rational suicide in older adults. The piece defines rational suicide as “a sane, well-thought-out and fairly stable […]

New 504 Rule Prohibits Discrimination in Suicide Prevention Services, Bars QALYs

Last November, NDY filed a Public Comment on HHS/OCR Proposed Section 504 Healthcare Regulations. This week, the Department of Health and Human Services announced the finalization of the new regulationprohibiting disability discrimination in healthcare under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act. While the primary focus of our public comment was the denial of life-sustaining healthcare […]

Anita, John and Diane Provide Testimony Opposing Minnesota Assisted Suicide Bill

Today, Anita Cameron testified via online access to oppose Minnesota’s assisted suicide bill  while John Kelly and Diane Coleman submitted written testimony to the MN House of Representatives Health Finance and Policy Committee. Below are excerpts from each and their names links to their full testimonies. Anita Cameron Research has documented Black, Asian, and Hispanic […]

NDY Public Comment on HHS/OCR Proposed Section 504 Healthcare Regulations

Not Dead Yet has joined many disability organizations in applauding the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office for Civil Rights for proposing critically needed rules to update and amend its Section 504 regulations in the area of healthcare. NDY’s public comment focuses primarily on the Department’s questions concerning medical treatment (Section 84.56), […]

Jensen Caraballo: Assisted Suicide Laws Are Dangerous

According to a 2013 Pew Research Center study, 65% of the Latino community is against assisted suicide. That’s more than half of the Latino community. We understand how dangerous these practices are. But I would like to see the entire community against assisted suicide. Have you heard of the Disability perspective? I am going to […]