U.K.: Brignell Column on Disability and Assisted Suicide Misses Several Points

February 2, 2009assisted suicide, bioethics, Our News & Commentary Blog, reality check, suicide, Switzerland, United KingdomStephen Drake

…movingly: “Our son could not have been more loved… This was his right as a human being. Nobody but nobody should judge him or anyone else.” These two paragraphs buy into some of the biggest lies/myths perpetrated by the euthanasia movement and others who argue for a “right” for assistance in suicides for people with disabilities. The claim that “it is almost physically impossible for someone who is completely paralysed to die by suicide” is false….

Reality Vs. Myths of Pet Euthanasia (Part 1)

February 12, 2009dick sobsey, euthanasia, Our News & Commentary Blog, pets, reality checkStephen Drake

…shelter. Last July, Dick Sobsey posted his own critique of the animal vs. human euthanasia argument in “Euthanasia, pets & people.” Here’s an excerpt, sharing some statistics on animal euthanasia: They are abandoned and unwanted. (According to the American Humane Association, “56% of dogs and 71% of cats that enter animal shelters are euthanized,” that was 2.7 million animals in the 1000 shelters who responded to their survey. The total number is…

Reality Vs. Myths of Pet Euthanasia (Part 2)

February 13, 2009Australia, euthanasia, Nitschke, Our News & Commentary Blog, pets, reality checkStephen Drake

…e moment, don’t spend time dwelling on the “good old days” when they could run like the wind and mourn the loss. That’s a human characteristic – and something we like to project on our pets – so we can tell ourselves and our friends that we had them “put to sleep” because they suffered, avoiding the messier truth. In the name of thoughtful debate and respect for critical thinking, can we put this issue to sleep? Because when individuals such as th…

Atlanta Journal-Constitution Columnist Asks All the Wrong Questions About Lessons to be Learned from Final Exit Network

March 6, 2009assisted suicide, James T. Hall, Larry McAfee, media coverage, media issues, Our News & Commentary Blog, reality checkStephen Drake

…do my inalienable rights as a human being extend to the right to self-destruction? If my life is truly my own, shouldn’t I be able to end it as I see fit? Personally, I think the answer is almost always no. Societal consensus, backed by medical research and experience, dictates that a person in decent physical health who wants to commit suicide is by definition mentally ill — no fully sane person would make such a decision. But how far does that…

Georgia NDY/Disability Activist on Fox5 Coverage in Atlanta – Final Exit Network

March 19, 2009advocacy, assisted suicide, final exit network, media coverage, Our News & Commentary Blog, suicideStephen Drake

…ate causing fingers to contract permanently. CMT sufferers also undergo excruciating pain. “Sometimes it’s a burning neurological pain like boiling hot water is running through my nerves,” Kurt, who asked that only his first name be used. CMT is not fatal, but Kurt suffers from a rare form of the disease that causes severe respiratory problems which can make breathing feel more like suffocating. Kurt said he didn’t want to grow old with the diseas…