A Disability Perspective on the Issue of Physician Assisted Suicide – Disability and Health Journal

January 13, 2010American Public Health Association, analysis, assisted suicide, carol gill, diane coleman, Marilyn Golden, Mercatornet, Michael Cook, Our News & Commentary Blog, researchStephen Drake

…hey prefer to call it in Oregon, “patient-directed dying” or “physician aid-in-dying”. Rather than worrying about some ambiguous language in the Obama administration’s health reform legislation or scrutinising the publications of his health advisors for a few indiscreet phrases, the elderly and their relatives ought to be worried about the 30,000 members of the APHA. They are the ones who could be sitting on the “death panels”. The authors of the…

Testimony of Karen Scheiderman – MA Assisted Suicide Hearing

February 24, 2010advocacy, assisted suicide, Massachusetts, Our News & Commentary BlogStephen Drake

…suspect most people do at some point. As the daughter of a healthy 92 year-old man who chose to jump to his death in an act of suicide a decade ago, I know whatever drew him to it was not helped by the same culture that worships youth and puts up with elders, despite their value as human beings of any age. I oppose assisted suicide at this point in history where people with disabilities are perceived has inherently less worthy than non-disabled p…

HBO Is Making Sure We Don’t Know Jack About Jack Kevorkian

April 22, 2010assisted suicide, Homicide / 'Mercy Killing', Kevorkian, media coverage, media issues, Our News & Commentary Blog, reality checkStephen Drake

…indication, later explained, that Kevorkian’s chief motivation for his law-and-custom-defying actions was regret at having stood by helplessly as his mother endured a prolonged, excruciating death. Well, that’s a good story, but it may be just a story. And it’s a far cry from the whole story. What the film apparently avoids recounting is this: Kevorkian spent a couple of decades obsessed with the establishment of a medical specialty labeled “obit…

The “Right to Die” Expands Into New Territory

May 13, 2010"end of life", crime and punishment, death penalty, euthanasia, legislation, life-ending decisions, media coverage, media issues, Our News & Commentary Blog, reality check, right to dieStephen Drake

…Still, I have to wonder if this will catch on. It really sets off my weird-o-meter to have two stories like this so close together in time. There is a certain grim logic to it and it could be carried even further, I guess. In 2007, I engaged in a debate on euthanasia and assisted suicide with a professor at Washington State University. During the Q&A period, someone asked us about “involuntary euthanasia.” My worthy opponent gave a more-or-less t…

Three recommended reads: Bill Peace on “Ashley and Me,” L Syd M Johnson critque of Jacob Appel on PVS and April Michelle Herndon on the “Magic Pill” Question

July 9, 2010Ashley X, bioethics, blog recommendations, cure, glbt, Hastings Center, Our News & Commentary Blog, pvs, william peaceStephen Drake

…token event/seminar/workshop. Nevertheless, I go back periodically to the online Bioethics Forum, because I occasionally find articles on that section of the website that are relevant to NDY and/or disability rights. Right now, the Bioethics Forum is featuring three articles that all have relevance to NDY’s mission and/or to disability rights – even though only one of the articles is written by a disability rights activist. Going from the oldest…