…he content with that in mind. However, when readers of the Huffington Post come across an entry by “bioethicist and medical historian” Jacob M. Appel, titled in the form of a question, they might be inclined to think they are going to get expert, honest and unbiased analysis. Since most readers of the Huffington Post aren’t any more inclined to critical thinking than attendees at a Tea Party event, most readers might miss that while Appel may be a…
…eman February 7, 2011 INTRODUCTION Thank you for the opportunity to submit testimony to this committee on behalf of national Not Dead Yet, a disability rights group that opposes legalization of assisted suicide and euthanasia. The opportunity for disabled people to sound the alarm about this legislation is especially important because of the ways the political culture war has often been used to exclude and marginalize the disability community in t…
…audience that has sat through a presentation in which Corriveau’s honesty, compassion or motives are never questioned – and backed by a leading advocate of anything that gets called ‘mercy killing’ (Fieger) – about 90% of the audience back Corriveau. By doing so, they’ve also written off the lives of anyone with a significant cognitive disability. It’s a bad day for people with disabilities, but a great day for Dr. Phil – who loves great theater….
…rted on January 26, 2013 in the Rutland Herald: “…The House Human Services Committee heard testimony Thursday that APS failed to intervene in a Bennington County case of an 89-year-old woman whose daughter was threatening to kill her…” It appears that the daughter wanted the mother’s room and was willing to kill to get it. Those in loving functional families need to know that there are others who are not so blessed. How many times has the argument…
…to insist that every medical student receives adequate training and passes competency tests in basic palliative care knowledge and in the skills required for effective symptom management, communication, shared decision-making, and counseling related to serious illness and dying – skills that too many physicians lack today. Summary and Conclusion Despite all the collective efforts of Vermont’s health care community and government, including this bo…
