“The Unspoken Argument” – Final Exit Network, Derek Humphry and a Rough Road Ahead

December 23, 2010"The Unspoken Argument", cost containment, Derek Humphry, final exit network, Our News & Commentary BlogStephen Drake

…nd Mary Clement in the book Freedom to Die: people, politics, and the right-to-die movement. The book was written in 2000. The second-to-last chapter is titled “The Unspoken Argument.” This seems a very appropriate time to remind people of what Humphry and Clement had to say ten years ago: “Similar to other social issues, the right-to-die movement has not arisen separate and distinct from other concurrent developments of our time. In attempting to…

Suicide Promotion During Suicide Prevention Week – Blog from Wesley Smith and a Little More from Me

September 9, 2011assisted suicide, final exit network, lanny berman, national suicide prevention week, Our News & Commentary Blog, suicide, suicide prevention, Wesley Smith, world suicide prevention dayStephen Drake

…be an awful lot of news dedicated to the promotion of suicide during the so-called “National Suicide Prevention Week.” It’s been obvious to a number of us who’ve been dealing with these issues that the suicide prevention community has been MIA for years. It’s gotten to the point where I doubt that reporters even think – on their own – to call someone from a suicide prevention organization when doing a story on, for example, Final Exit Network (FEN…

Montana Senate Judiciary Committee Hearing on Pro and Con Assisted Suicide Bills Will Be Webcast Feb 9, 2011

February 8, 2011assisted suicide, legislation, Montana, Our News & Commentary BlogStephen Drake

…Bill. The hearing will take place at 8am on Wednesday, Feb. 9th in Room 303 (Old Supreme Court Chambers) at the State Capitol. (For any Montana readers who might be able to make it on short notice) If you’re like me and can’t be there, you can view the hearing online at: http://leg.mt.gov/css/audio/audio_broadcast.asp. For Montanans Only: Call the legislative hotline at (406) 444-4800 to leave one message for all Senate Judiciary Committee member…

Milwaukee Magazine: NDY featured in profile of elderly couple who died through a suspected suicide pact

February 23, 2011assisted suicide, final exit network, Homicide / 'Mercy Killing', media coverage, Our News & Commentary BlogStephen Drake

…uilty last year to facilitation to commit manslaughter. To Drake, the right-to-die movement is heading down a slippery slope, pushing for assisted suicide of people who are nonterminal or physically unable to commit suicide on their own – including those with disabling diseases. “When it comes to the euthanasia of children and adults unable to express a wish to die, I believe the goal for many is to have some sort of medical panel evaluate the req…

Organ Donation by Death Row Inmates – Get Ready to Start Hearing More About How it’s “Good” for Everyone

March 11, 2011Art Caplan, Ben Goldhirsh, bioethics, crime and punishment, death penalty, Dylan Ratigan, Eric Meslin, good magazine, Graeme Wood, Kevorkian, media coverage, Our News & Commentary Blog, reality check, Wesley SmithStephen Drake

…n, the “suicide machine” Kevorkian invented, which enables a person to self-administer a lethal injection. In this self-dramatizing, often strident manifesto he argues that “medicide,” his term for doctor-assisted suicide, is an ethical option that should be extended not only to the infirm or terminally ill, but also to inmates on death row. Condemned prisoners, he maintains, should, if they choose, be executed via general anesthesia, with the opt…