Barney Frank Demagogues “End of Life” Policy in Budget Discussion on MSNBC.

April 26, 2011"end of life", Barney Frank, budget reduction, demagoguery, media coverage, Our News & Commentary BlogStephen Drake

…people at the “end of life” who just want to be left alone and die peacefully. This is demagoguery because the right to refuse treatment – especially in the case of people in the final stages of a terminal illness – is a settled matter. It is illegal for a hospital to “force” life-saving or life-extending treatment that you don’t want. I give Barney Frank credit for being a pretty intelligent politician and policy wonk – in this case it was the gr…

ADAPT in DC This Week

May 4, 2011activism, ADAPT, Back Door Euthanasia, disability rights, Our News & Commentary Blog, policy, protestsStephen Drake

…Medicaid Cuts Disability-rights group steps up Ryan protests Remember – early deaths through withdrawal of life-sustaining supports and healthcare is every bit as much a government-sponsored “backdoor euthanasia” plan as any rationing plan you could come up with. It’s also 100% predictable that, faced with being forced to living in institutions or living without support or treatment in the community, there will be a big increase in people with dis…

Candor From Eric Cantor – Government Healthcare Rationing Bad, But OK if Private Sector Does It

May 5, 2011Back Door Euthanasia, class warfare, Eric Cantor, health care reform, healthcare rationing, Our News & Commentary Blog, reality checkStephen Drake

…– they just object to the government setting standards and limits that apply to everyone. As most of the people I deal with on a daily basis are well aware, private health insurance already rations healthcare, and the cheaper your plan is, the more your healthcare is rationed. For the most part, conservatives have been careful to avoid saying that they’re OK with “free market” rationing – rationing that is determined by how much you’re able to pa…

The American Muslim (publication) – “Euthanasia: a Modest Proposal” by Rev. Frank Julian Gelli

June 17, 2011assisted suicide, dignitas, euthanasia, modest proposal, Our News & Commentary Blog, Rev. Frank Julian Gelli, satire, soylent green, Terry Pratchett, The American MuslimStephen Drake

…l in Britain. Sir Terry’s wife is not in favour, apparently, but he is. Golly! Verily, the Book of Proverbs is right, ‘a good wife is worth more than rubies’. I confess: If I had a wife, I would like her to be like Mrs Pratchett. Euthanasia-talk is topical indeed. Elderly people in British care homes are victims of spending cuts. The quality of their care is deteriorating. Privatisation has resulted in falling standards. The financial crisis bites…

Answering Some of Roger Ebert’s (and Kevorkian’s) Fans

July 2, 2011assisted suicide, culture wars, media coverage, media issues, million dollar baby, Our News & Commentary Blog, Roger EbertStephen Drake

…ffensive” but came up ambivalent about the treatment of euthanasia. Initially, only a couple of conservative commentators blasted the film, but they gave the impression Eastwood was some new film pioneer of the left. That left an ideal opportunity for the disability community to be heard, since the “usual suspects” were unusually quiet initially. There was this void, just waiting to be filled, in the ongoing media blitz over this “masterpiece” tha…