Disabilityscoop fails to get the real scoop – Disability, organ transplantation and the HHS

September 21, 2012ari ne'eman, Autistic Self-Advocacy Network, disabilityscoop, discrimination, HHS, national council on independent living, national disability leadership alliance, organ donation, organ transplants, Our News & Commentary BlogStephen Drake

…that describes itself as the “premiere source of developmental disability news,” published an article on the same meeting. As the title of the article indicates (Advocates Call for End to Transplant Discrimination), the article focuses on the issue of the denial of transplant consideration to people with disabilities, based solely on their disability. The emphasis is understandable for a publication that focuses on developmental disabilities. Wha…

NY Lawsuit Claims Organ Donor Network Engaged in ‘Shameful Practices,’ Pressuring Staff and Families

October 19, 2012brain death, brain injury, litigation, New York Organ Donor Network, organ donation, organ transplants, Our News & Commentary Blog, rush to judgmentStephen Drake

…the New York Post on September 26 of this year. Here’s an excerpt from the news story in the Post: The New York Organ Donor Network pressured hospital staffers to declare patients brain dead so their body parts could be harvested — and even hired “coaches” to train staffers how to be more persuasive, a bombshell lawsuit charged yesterday. The federally funded nonprofit used a “quota” system, and leaned heavily on the next of kin to sign consent fo…

NDY President Diane Coleman Submits Comments on Futile Care Policies to National Council on Disability

April 22, 2013diane coleman, futile care, futility, national council on disability, Our News & Commentary BlogStephen Drake

…urse. They press this viewpoint on us, our families and sometimes even overrule us when we disagree. Futility policies are not a new thing, but there are indications that doctors have become increasingly comfortable using them to withdraw life-sustaining treatment to end our lives. They provide doctors a legal safe harbor to act based on whatever medical predictions and quality of life judgments that they may feel are consistent with community sta…

NJ Governor Vetoes POLST Bill, Suggests Revisions

August 27, 2011advance directives, legislation, life-ending decisions, life-sustaining treatment, new jersey, Our News & Commentary Blog, policy, POLSTDiane Coleman

…w Jersey POLST bill yesterday, it hit the news feed. According to NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM and the Governor’s veto message – While noting the prospective benefits in guiding end of life patient care for New Jerseyans by utilizing POLST forms, Christie cited concerns with the provisions of the bill that would effectively allow a patient’s wishes to be overridden by the patient’s physician or healthcare representative without the patient’s prior consen…

Attorney Anne Studholme on New Jersey “Dom Time” Show Opposite NY C&C Director David Leven

June 4, 2013Anne Studholme, assisted suicide, betancourt v. trinitas, Compassion & Choices, Dom Giordano's Dom Time Show, legislation, media coverage, new jersey, Our News & Commentary BlogDiane Coleman

…mpassion & Choices Director David Leven on New Jersey’s “Dom Time” show, a news and call-in show hosted and moderated by Dom Giordano. We first got to know Studholme when she represented NDY, ADAPT, NCIL, AAPD, NSCIA, Center for Self-Determination and Disability Rights New Jersey (the NJ protection and advocacy agency) in filing a friend-of-the-court brief in a major medical futility case. This year a bill to legalize assisted suicide has been int…