Media Alert – Looks Like “Dr. Oz” Is Planning Slanted Show on Assisted Suicide

October 18, 2011assisted suicide, barbara coombs lee, Dr. Oz, ira byock, keith ablow, media coverage, media issues, Our News & Commentary Blog, right to dieStephen Drake

…e that they are serious and promoting in-depth discussion of important medical, cultural and social issues. The latest such professional to carry that off successfully is Dr. Mehmet Cengiz Öz or, as he is more commonly known, “Dr. Oz..” According to Wikipedia, he got his media start as a health expert on Oprah. The Wikipedia entry is a portrait of a bright and accomplished individual, with some interesting contradictions. On the one hand, he’s the…

GREAT NEWS: Diane Coleman Transitioning to New Role as CEO of Not Dead Yet in August

July 28, 2011announcement, assisted suicide, center for disability rights, diane coleman, disability rights, discrimination, euthanasia, Not Dead Yet, Our News & Commentary Blog, policyStephen Drake

…dressed the issue of third party decisions to withhold life-sustaining medical treatment. “We’re especially concerned about health care providers who pressure people or even make unilateral decisions to withhold treatment,” says Diane. “It’s becoming increasingly urgent that we expand our efforts to educate and assist the disability rights community to weigh in on the public policy issues at stake. ‘Nothing about us without us’ is a matter of life…

Please Support Not Dead Yet With a Year-End Donation

December 29, 2010activism, advocacy, assisted suicide, Back Door Euthanasia, donations, Not Dead Yet, Our News & Commentary BlogStephen Drake

…y with other issues of theirs, and with an eye toward bolstering one political party over another. Pro-euthanasia activists are more than willing to exploit that tendency and it’s worked out well for our opponents. Not Dead Yet has been the organizing voice for the disability community for over a decade when it comes to so-called “end of life” issues. We function on a budget of about 1800 dollars per month. That covers the cost for salary and heal…

Maryland: New Factually-Impaired Op-Ed from Final Exit Network – and My Response

June 9, 2010assisted suicide, Compassion & Choices, Conflation and Con jobs, crime and punishment, final exit network, media coverage, op-ed, Our News & Commentary BlogStephen Drake

…suicide, since we never supply any equipment or administer any lethal chemicals. We are careful to keep our efforts within the law. That, however, has not prevented some local governments, notably Georgia and Arizona, from persecuting many of my colleagues — including our former medical director, Dr. Egbert. Ending a life of unbearable pain and indignity is a basic human right. We at Final Exit Network provide compassion in the form of information…

New Study in BMJ Indicates People with Clinical Depression Getting Lethal Prescriptions in Oregon

October 8, 2008assisted suicide, Oregon, Our News & Commentary Blog, policy, reality check, researchStephen Drake

…y not adequately protect the one in four terminally ill patients with clinical depression, a new study says. The Death with Dignity Act was passed by the state in 1997, and there’s been intense debate about the extent to which potentially treatable psychiatric disorders may influence a patient’s decision to hasten death, according to a news release about the study, published online Oct. 8 by the British Medical Journal. The act does contain severa…