As the Threat of Triage Grows, Disability Rights Advocacy Is Needed More Than Ever

April 6, 2020bioethics, COVID-19, death panels, healthcare rationing, HHS, medical discrimination, Our News & Commentary BlogCOVID-19, Dredf, healthcare rationingDiane Coleman

…ons must be avoided and doctors must instead focus on the most current and best available objective medical evidence available to determine an individual patient’s ability to respond to treatment. . . . . . . [V]alue judgments about the fact that a patient may require extensive support in activities of daily living, uses augmentative or alternative communication, uses a wheelchair, or experiences a psychiatric disability are irrelevant to decision…

Peter Singer – A Slippery Mind

March 20, 2008medical decisionmaking, Our News & Commentary Blog, Peter Singer, reality checkStephen Drake

…wishes should not override doctors’ ethical responsibilities to act in the best interests of their patients. Golubchuk’s children argue that he interacts with them. But establishing their father’s awareness could be a double-edged sword, since it could also mean that keeping him alive is pointless torture, and it is in his best interest to be allowed to die peacefully. The other important issue raised by Golubchuk’s case is how far a publicly-fund…

President of ASAN Under Attack – Including Death Threats

May 11, 2009advocacy, autism, inciting violence, neurodiversity, Our News & Commentary BlogStephen Drake

…t doesn’t end there. The really disturbing, creepy, scary and violent part comes in a comment he submitted later on: I believe that everyone associated with Neurodiversity should be put to death for the propaganda they perpetrate against curing horribly disabled children. They are part of the lies told by vaccine makers and politicians who continue to cause autism intentionally. I believe that autism is the greatest crime in the history of the pla…

NY Case on Feeding Tube Withdrawal – Gary Harvey

July 10, 2009life-ending decisions, litigation, medical decisionmaking, neglect, Our News & Commentary Blog, Surrogate Decisions & GuardianshipStephen Drake

…ng any right to make decisions on her husband’s behalf. Sara Harvey is the best person to tell her story – and she’s done so at the National Association to Stop Guardian Abuse. Here is an excerpt from her entry on May 18th on their blog: Jan. 2006, my husband Gary E. Harvey, age 55, suffered a tragic accident leaving him severely brain injured. As his wife and sole advocate, I’m fighting to ensure he gets the best possible care and quality of life…

Phil. Inquirer: Art Caplan Delivers Some Truth About Kevorkian, But Misses (or Evades) His Real Impact on Assisted Suicide Movement

June 11, 2009Art Caplan, assisted suicide, barbara coombs lee, blog recommendations, Kevorkian, Our News & Commentary Blog, reality check, Timothy QuillStephen Drake

…here are sharply contrasting views that are deeply entrenched. While an outcome that accommodates both parties to some extent is more desirable than an outcome that pleases nobody, it is not necessarily correct. Wikipedia False compromise: X and Y are opposite alternatives. So Z, a middle path, is the best choice. Avoid extremes. Seek compromise, a moderate, middle way. Take averages. Assume that any polarized view is automatically wrong. Changing…