Not Dead Yet UK: “Real Disability Activists and Masquerades” by Dr. Kevin Fitzpatrick OBE

October 28, 2013assisted suicide, disability rights, disability rights advocates, Our News & Commentary Blog, United Kingdomassisted suicide, disability rights, Kevin Fitzpatrick, NDY UK, United KingdomStephen Drake

…epresenting large numbers of disabled people’s rights through democratic structures and processes. In the world of legitimate disability activism one thing is clear: we are required to seek the views of large numbers of disabled people in order to speak on their behalf – it is called democracy! That’s what we do. Therefore I question the legitimacy of this new group of disability activists because of the self-appointed members who are also the…

Blog Recommendation: Two to Read from the Flanoor Blog by Adrian Rhodes

August 16, 2013assisted suicide, bioethics, blog recommendations, bloggers, Canada, disabilities, euthanasia, Our News & Commentary BlogStephen Drake

…inted out that there were problems with his position: namely, lack of real-world connections, saying there were no problems with medically provided death. In this post, I point out there is an alternative way of looking at the issue: cost savings. It is said that our medical system is broke. So when Thomas Walkom ran a column in the Toronto Star on Saturday June 15, 2013, he made some good points no-one else ever seemed to make: it’s all about the…

NDY quoted in Pew Trusts’ Stateline: New End-of-Life Measure Quietly Sweeps the Nation

June 21, 2013california, Connecticut, Delaware, Do-Not-Resuscitate, futility, Huffington Post, life-sustaining treatment, new jersey, Our News & Commentary Blog, Pew Charitable Trusts Stateline, POLST, protection and advocacy, Second ThoughtsDiane Coleman

…Jersey POLST bill. A POLST is a medical order, signed by a physician, instructing a health care provider about what types of life-sustaining treatment to provide or withhold. The instruction is supposed to be based on the wishes of the individual or their authorized surrogate health care decision maker. The National Task Force “strongly recommends” that the patient or surrogate signature also be required, but not all states have adopted that requ…

Smart Ass Cripple (blog): It’s All Over But the Bingo (Satire)

May 19, 2011advance directives, blog recommendations, humor, mike ervin, Our News & Commentary Blog, satire, smart ass crippleStephen Drake

…think about this right away, while you still can. Write down specific instructions in an advance directive for your loved ones who will be your surrogate decision makers to follow. This will save everyone a lot of anguish. Believe me, I know. I made a well-meaning but profoundly ill-advised medical decision on behalf of my aunt and now she must live with the consequences. Two years ago my aunt was hospitalized due to a sudden, unexplained but tem…

Bill Peace and Stephen Kuusisto React to “The Crucifixion of Thomas Young” by Chris Hedges

March 18, 2013bill peace, blog recommendations, bloggers, hospice, Our News & Commentary Blog, spinal cord injury, stephen Kuusisto, suicide, VSEDStephen Drake

…happen apparently. Based on an article I read by Chris Hedges http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/the_crucifixion_of_tomas_young_20130310/ Young has struggled mightily and has entered into hospice care to die even though he is not terminally ill. Since his injury, Young has taken a laundry list of medications (carbamazepine, coumadin, tizanidine, gabapentin, bupropion, omeprazole, and morphine were mentioned in Body of War). According to Hedges i…