NDY quoted in article on New Mexico assisted suicide case

July 17, 2012aid in dying, assisted suicide, Compassion & Choices, Connecticut, court decisions, diane coleman, Montana, New Mexico, Our News & Commentary BlogDiane Coleman

…ying was protected under the law providing for living wills.” More accurately and narrowly, the court held that the patient’s consent to assisted suicide would constitute a defense that a physician could raise if they were charged with homicide. (Baxter v.Montana at page 25 – available at the Court’s website.) A court or jury would still be able to consider all the facts and circumstances (e.g. misdiagnosis, malpractice) in deciding whether to acq…

Updates on Amanda Baggs – Surgery is on for Today!

April 2, 2013Amanda Baggs, autistic activists, disability, disability activists, disability rights advocates, discrimination, medical bigotry, medical discrimination, Our News & Commentary Blog, vermontStephen Drake

…ll of these good things happened is because of Laura T. – Webmuskie – who emailed people all day Sunday to get everyone informed and ready to intervene in whatever way they were able. I’m cautiously optimistic that “we” – all of us – won this one. It’s truly amazing what so many people can do when we’re focused, outraged, and more than a little bit scared. …

PBS Airs Frontline “The Suicide Plan” – Video Tape Exposes Final Exit Network’s Big Lie

November 14, 2012assisted suicide, final exit network, Frontline, Georgia, murder, Our News & Commentary Blog, zealotryStephen Drake

…ain. And I’ve seen a person like that, where the heart started up beautifully, normally, but the brain was totally dead. And that, we do— that is the ultimate of disasters. Frustratingly, the interviewer doesn’t ask for a clarification of what Egbert means when he “makes it clear” that pulling the bag down is the “point of no return.” Does he mean that he won’t let him take the bag off at that point? It’s open for interpretation, with that at the…

NY Lawsuit Claims Organ Donor Network Engaged in ‘Shameful Practices,’ Pressuring Staff and Families

October 19, 2012brain death, brain injury, litigation, New York Organ Donor Network, organ donation, organ transplants, Our News & Commentary Blog, rush to judgmentStephen Drake

…a salutary effect on another human being. I use the word “hover” deliberately, if a bit provocatively, because that is how families of many brain injury patients viewed it. I know this from interviews with more than 40 families, each with a member who had a disorder of consciousness, who came to Weill Cornell Medical College for enrollment in neuroimaging and EEG studies designed to elucidate mechanisms of recovery. While they were here, we conduc…

New Bill Peace-Related Response – ‘Who would want a child like that?’

August 6, 2012bill peace, bioethics, bloggers, devaluation, Hastings Center, medical decisionmaking, medical discrimination, Our News & Commentary BlogStephen Drake

…lity. But neonatal professionals don’t hear from those folks again and really have no idea how things turn out. The ones they do hear from are the ones who have to keep coming back – due to repeated health crises, chronic treatment issues, etc. Those are the families – especially at a moment when exhausted and discouraged – might express regrets about having pursued aggressive medical treatment. So the fact that medical professionals form a biased…