Canadian Assisted Suicide Case Sparks Dueling Letters on Disability

November 29, 2011Alison Davis, assisted suicide, Canada, Council of Canadians with Disabilities, court cases, diane coleman, disability rights advocates, media issues, Our News & Commentary Blog, Rhonda WiebeStephen Drake

…ir. This once-active man in his 90s now resides in a body that is self-destructing in a painful manner. My dad has no quality of life, only a hope that the next day will not be as painful as the last. My friend is still practising her profession, despite the advanced ALS that has a hold on her. She has made arrangements for a death with dignity in a far more compassionate country. Her ability and foresight have allowed her to control her own futur…

Time Magazine – Sloppy and Inaccurate Kevorkian Obit Written by News Director in “Person of the Year” Issue

December 15, 2011assisted suicide, euthanasia, Howard Chua-Eoan, Kevorkian, media issues, obitiatry, Our News & Commentary Blog, reality check, Time magazineStephen Drake

…heir earthly existence. But Kevorkian’s confidence in his quest remained unruffled. “It’s unstoppable,” he told TIME. “It may not be in my lifetime, but my opponents are going to lose. There’s a lot of human misery out there.” Most readers of this blog know more about Kevorkian than the general public does. I highlighted two sentences above in which Kevorkian’s concerns and activities are said to have revolved around people who were dying. There i…

Organ Procurement Guidelines, Health Care Decisions and People With Disabilities

January 3, 2012bioethics, dcd, diane coleman, donation after cardiac death, national catholic partnership on disability, organ donation, Our News & Commentary Blog, public comment, Stephen Mikochik, united network for organ sharingStephen Drake

…nd organ sharing system. In the U.S., the federal Department of Health and Human Services contracts with the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN)/United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) to manage the nation’s organ transplant system. Among other functions, OPTN/UNOS provide guidelines pertaining to organ procurement practices in hospitals. In March 2011, OPTN/UNOS proposed changes to the practices related to organ donation followin…

Georgia: Court Strikes Down State’s Half-Assed Assisted Suicide Law

February 6, 2012assisted suicide, court decisions, final exit network, Georgia, legislation, Our News & Commentary BlogStephen Drake

…advertisements or offers to assist in a suicide, he added. “Had the state truly been interested in the preservation of human life … it could have imposed a ban on all assisted suicides with no restriction on protected speech whatsoever,” the ruling said. “Alternatively, the state could have sought to prohibit all offers to assist in suicide when accompanied by an overt act to accomplish that goal. The state here did neither.” (Emphasis added.) Tha…

Canada: Council of Canadians with Disabilities Respond to Global News’ Promotion of Killing Disabled People

March 26, 2012Council of Canadians with Disabilities, disability rights advocates, euthanasia, media bias, Our News & Commentary Blog, Rhonda Wiebe, Robert LatimerStephen Drake

…r Health Ethics Centre, University of Alberta) and Krista Flint (Inclusive Humanity) Re: CCD’s Response to “Taking Mercy” (Global 16×9; March 16, 2012) Date: March 26, 2012 Your media blog “Taking Mercy” (March 16, 2012) has left many Canadians in a state of shock. The entire program was filled with misinformation, fear, and stigma. Those of us who live with disabilities could easily have shared hospital rooms, support services, classrooms or neig…