…person are not enough. The report says “when … there is a perceived or actual conflict between the desires of parents or guardians and the civil and human rights of a person with a disability, but I would suggest that there’s almost always the potential for conflict of interest with family. Nowadays there is an almost incessant barrage of messages about the burdens of care giving, while people who need help in activities of daily living are almost…

…sed donor organs must not be influenced positively or negatively by political influence, national origin, race, sex, religion, or financial status. The failure to include disability status in the listing of protected groups speaks volumes. Disability based discrimination in organ transplant eligibility has received recurring attention from the disability community over the years. I refer you to a recent policy paper by the Autistic Self-Advocacy N…

…ious real estate transactions. Americans place tremendous value on individual, autonomous choice, whereas policy makers must recognize the social realities that affect people’s health and healthcare decision-making. When people become ill and dependent, their desire to live or die is affected by the level of support they receive. Of course this is true! Oregonian Kathryn Judson wrote of bringing her seriously ill husband to the doctor. “I collapse…

…scriminatory. During the campaign, we acknowledged legalization’s superficial appeal through our group name, Second Thoughts: we found that the more Massachusetts voters heard about the real dangers of assisted suicide, the more they doubted its wisdom. With voter support plunging from 68% six weeks before the election to solid opposition, Massachusetts did indeed have serious “second thoughts” about assisted suicide. During the campaign, it becam…