Not Dead Yet Applauds PBS Documentary “Lives Worth Living”

ADAPT, assisted suicide, Bob Kafka, disability rights, documentary, Fred Fay, Marca Bristo, national council on disability, Our News & Commentary Blog, pbs

(This press release will be issued on the wires via prweb on Oct. 27, 2011)

(Rochester, NY) Not Dead Yet, a national disability organization that opposes legalization of assisted suicide, applauds the documentary “Lives Worth Living” which begins airing October 27 on PBS. Produced and directed by Eric Neudel, “Lives Worth Living” combines rare historical footage with interviews of individuals with disabilities who led the development of the disability rights movement.

The documentary features compelling personal reflections by Fred Fay, one of the earliest leaders who passed away this year, and operated for years from a motorized gurney that he drove around his home. “Fred Fay was at the center of the earliest and largest disability rights email network in the country,” observed Diane Coleman, President and CEO of Not Dead Yet. “The Justice For All listserv was the best source of information for people in the disability rights movement in the 1990’s, and Not Dead Yet was grateful to Fred for the opportunity he provided for us to communicate press releases and action alerts to thousands of disability activists.”

Several of the other disability rights movement leaders interviewed in the documentary have worked closely with Not Dead Yet as well. Among these is Bob Kafka, a national leader of the direct action group ADAPT which conducted many of the marches and protests documented in historical footage. Kafka suggested the name “Not Dead Yet” for the group based on a running gag in the movie “Monty Python and the Holy Grail.”

Also interviewed was Marca Bristo who chaired the presidentially appointed National Council on Disability (NCD) during the Clinton Administration. She arranged a debate before the Council members between Coleman and Derek Humphry, co-founder of the Hemlock Society, resulting in a formal NCD position statement opposing legalization of assisted suicide issued in 1997. NCD was later chaired by Lex Frieden during the second Bush Administration. Frieden requested that Coleman provide a cover memorandum when NCD reissued the position paper against assisted suicide in 2005.

“It’s an honor to have been mentored by a number of the powerful leaders who tell the story of our movement in this groundbreaking documentary,” Coleman said. “A lot of people question how a group like ours that claims to be about disability rights can oppose assisted suicide, something generally viewed as a progressive social cause. Perhaps after viewing Lives Worth Living, which challenges the prevailing fear that severe disability is a fate worse than death, it will be easier to understand. We’re really just talking about being equal under the law, and a streamlined path to death is not equal treatment.”

For more information, see a PBS press release at   about Lives Worth Living as well as video clips from the documentary.

###

Diane Coleman Counters Support for Assisted Suicide with Reality Check in Her Hometown Paper

assisted suicide, kalamazoo, Kevorkian, margaret dore, media coverage, michigan, Our News & Commentary Blog

(Editor’s note – this should have been posted over a week ago.  The timelag between the writing of this post and the publishing on the blog is entirely my responsibility.  –SD)
I grew up in Kalamazoo, Michigan, so when the Kalamazoo Gazette’s October 1st edition featured three opinion pieces supporting assisted suicide, I had to respond. The authors were three senior high school students who are members of the paper’s 24-member Young Editorial Staff (YES). The paper noted that the students pick their own discussion topics and the views expressed are solely those of the students. There were no counterpoint editorials opposing assisted suicide.
The three editorials can be viewed in their entirety in the paper’s online archive. They serve to remind us how little accurate information about the issue is out there in the mainstream media.
The first opinion writer pointed out that Jack Kevorkian was arrested many times and found not guilty “until 1997, when the Supreme Court ruled it unconstitutional for people who could not take their own life to be helped along the way. However, those who are physically able to end their own lives have the constitutional right to do so.”
Maybe it’s just the JD in me that needs to provide corrections: The Supreme Court actually ruled in 1997 that state laws against assisted suicide arenot unconstitutional, but did not declare assisted suicide unconstitutional and left the door open for states to legalize it. In addition, the physical ability of a person to end their own life has not been considered legally relevant, nor has an alleged inability to end one’s own life ever been one of the statutory criteria to be eligible for assisted suicide. Moreover, historically, suicide (as distinguished from assisted suicide) was not a constitutional right and states could outlaw it, even though suicide has not been illegal in any state for many years.
The second opinion writer, who favors voluntary euthanasia as well as assisted suicide, stated, “In the majority of assisted suicide cases, the patients have a condition that causes them great pain, a slow death, and eventual loss of mental ability.” In contrast, according to the Oregon Reports, only 15 % of the people were reported to have actual pain or concern about future pain as a reason for requesting a lethal prescription, and this reason was attributed to only 21% over all 13 years of reports. It’s hard to know how she came up with the “eventual loss of mental ability” factor either.
The third opinion writer stated that, “Terminal is defined as a medically incurable illness,” which isn’t exactly the definition under the Oregon and Washington statutes requiring two doctors to predict that the individual will die within six months. But maybe she looked at the New Hampshire proposal.  In any case, she concluded that eligibility for assisted suicide should not be limited to the terminally ill: 
 
I say we trust this matter to the only judge available: ourselves. But I’m not suggesting we open clinics with “walk-ins welcome” signs. I agree completely with the idea of a lengthy application, testing, and approval process to make certain the decision is made soberly and willingly, and for stronger reasons than a comparatively fleeting low point.
She didn’t say who would review the applications, administer the tests, or issue the approvals, but whether it be a doctor or some other authority figure who determines eligibility, it’s hard to say that “the only judge” is the individual.
With the typical word limit on letters to the editor, I didn’t try to make these points in my response. Instead, I highlighted the point that Margaret Dore has made so effectively, the fact that assisted suicidelaws contain no safeguards after the lethal prescription is issued, creating several dangers, including that the lethal dose could be administered by anyone with or without the individual’s consent.
I was glad to see that my letter was published in my hometown paper on October 11. But the four online comments submitted by other readers all favored assisted suicide, and showed zero comprehension of the illusory nature of the “safeguards” in assisted suicide laws. – Diane Coleman

Train Wrecks and Being Bushwacked in the Land of Oz – Bill Peace, Danny Robert and Nadina LaSpina report on the Oz Show

als, assisted suicide, blog recommendations, Danny Robert, Dr. Oz, infotainment, ira byock, media coverage, media issues, Nadina LaSpina, Our News & Commentary Blog, ventilator, william peace
As we reported last week, several NDYers and other disability activists went to the taping of the “Dr. Oz” show on assisted suicide.  We were able to share the impressions of a disabled man who is part of the Final Exit Network (FEN) who came away feeling that the staff of the show was dishonest and disrespectful in dealing with him and discussing any accommodations to his disability. 

Last Friday, Bill Peace, one of the disability activists who attended the show as a “select audience member, posted a long report on his experiences in a post titled “Dr. Oz on Assisted Suicide: A Train Wreck.”  Below is the opening paragraph:
Last week I received an email from Stephen Drake, research analyst, for Not Dead Yet. He wrote that he and Diane Coleman might be on a syndicated television program called Doctor Oz. The subject was assisted suicide, not exactly the usual afternoon television fodder. To say I was skeptical would be too generous—daytime television is not exactly known for quality programming and I had never heard of Dr. Oz. As it turns out Drake and Coleman could not appear. I decided to attend knowing some members of Not Dead Yet would be present as well. I had three concerns: first, the daytime television model is for tear jerking, maudlin depictions of any issue and this would undermine any serious discussion. Second, would the show use people with a disability as mere window dressing for the viewing audience. Third, would the show be grossly biased. My concerns were well placed. The taping of the show was in my opinion a train wreck. It was an amazingly horrible experience. All my concerns came to fruition. In fact I would go as far as say the show, its host and producers were unethical.
That really is just the beginning.  You can read the rest at his blog “Bad Cripple.”
Danny Robert and Nadina LaSpina also attended the show taping as part of the “select audience.”  Both Danny and Nadina are long-time activists with ADAPT, DIA and NDY.  (Nadina is also a member of the NDY Board of Directors) Below is a an account of the experience from both of them:
BushwhackedintheLandofOz

Danny Robert & Nadina LaSpina

WednesdaywasadarkandrainywindydayhereintheBigApple.We were invited to be part of a taping for the Dr. Oz Show on the topic of assisted suicide. Ourcarservicepickupwasscheduledfor7:15AM.Wecouldn’tfindthevanwhichwasparkedfarfromourdoor andgotsoakedbutwegottotheaccessibleentranceto30Rockbefore8:00.

JulieMaury,BillPeace,HopeDerogatisandAriNe’eman, all people with disabilities and disability rights advocates,werealreadythere.We had each been interviewed by producers prior to being invited to appear on the show. WeweredirectedtoalargeelevatortothesixthfloorwhereweallshowedourIDsandweregivenourtickets.Wewerereceivedverycordially,withbigbrightsmiles,bytheproductionstaffwhoalllookedlikehighschoolcheerleaders.“Areyouexcitedtobeontheshow?” oneofthemasked.“AsmuchasIamwhenIgotothedentist,” Nadinaanswered.

ThoughwehadneverseentheDr.Ozshow,weexpectedittobelowquality,shallowand(especiallyhavingreadSteve’sblog)extremelybiased.ButwehadnoideaofhowgreatthebiasandhowblatantthehostilitythatawaitedusinOz’sstudiowouldbe.

Wewerebroughtbacktotheelevatorandthenescortedintoasmall“holdingroom.”Withsomedifficulty,weallsqueezedin.Dr.Byock, a palliative care doctor who opposes assisted suicide,stoppedintointroducehimselfandweallpleasantlyshookhands. He was scheduled to be on the small expert panel, and we were scheduled to be in the pro-or-con segment of the audience.

Wetalkedamongourselves,decidingwhowouldmakewhichpoint.Verynaively,wethoughtwewouldallgetachancetospeak.Thenayoungman,accompaniedbysomeonewithavideocamera,enteredandintroducedhimselfasGreg.Hesaid he was a producer and askedustoarticulateouroppositiontophysicianassistedsuicide.Eachofushadsomethingtosay and helistenedandaskedquestions.Heexplainedthatinthefirstsegmentoftheshow,Dr.Ozwouldbringouthisspecialguest,MontelWilliams,whowouldexplainwhyheisinfavorofassistedsuicide,thenDr.Ablowwouldargueagainst,andthenawomanwithALSwouldbebroughtout.Gregaskedthatwenotinterruptorheckle,andthatwewouldgetachancetospeakafterthewomanwithALS.
Montelgaveadramaticperformance,grabbinghislegsfromtimetotimewhilehespoke,hisfacecontortedinpain.Hesaidhewantstohaveawayoutwhenthepaingetsunbearableandhewantstodiewithdignity.Dr.Ablowgavesomegoodarguments,saying “Iwouldneverlegallyallowphysicianstodecidewhoshouldliveandwhoshoulddie…physicianassistedsuicideisaslipperyslope…”ButrightfromthestartitwasveryobviousthatDr.Ozandmostofhisaudiencewerenotinterestedinhearinganyargumentsagainst.

ThenDr.OzintroducedDana,anAfricanAmericanwomaninherlate40sorearly50swithALS.Herattendantrolledhertoaspotrightinfrontofthepanel.Shesatinamanualchair,somewhatreclined,wearingaventilatormask.Avideoplayedonthebigscreens,showingDanabeforetragedyhit,healthy,strong,athletic… (very exploitative). Thentheventilatormaskcameoff(theventilatoralarmedbriefly)andDanabegantospeak.ShesaidshehadbeenlivingwiththeprogressionofALSfor8yearsandshewastired.Shehatedhavingtodependonothersforhercareandshecouldn’ttakeitanymore.Shesaidshewasdepressed,lonely,hadnofriendsleftandshewantedtodie. Nadina and I looked at each other and said “that’s why she wants to die.” Nadina quickly jotted a note in preparation for her comments.

AsDana spoke,thesighsandthesnifflesfromtheaudiencekeptgettinglouder.Thecheerleaderswentaroundwithboxesoftissues,thebrightsmilesontheiryoungfacesnowreplacedbymournfulexpressions.

Dr.OzaskedDana’ssonhowitfelttolivewithhismom.Hesaiditwassadandthat,thoughhedidn’treallywanthertodie,healsodidn’twanthertosufferanymore.Dana’sdaughtersaid: “It’sheart-breaking,unbearabletowatchhersuffer.She’shadenough.”Dana’ssister,whohasherhealthcareproxy,reiterated:“Shecan’ttakeitanymore.She’ssufferedenough.”Itwasobvioustous(butIguesstonooneelse)thatthefamilyhad“hadenough.”

Greghadpromisedthatafterthebreak,wewouldhaveachancetospeak.AfterweheardDana,wedecidedthatIshouldgofirst,sincemyphysicalconditionis,outwardly,verysimilartohers, and my need for a ventilator is actually greater than hers.SoItoldmystory,includingmyMS diagnoses,thebreakupofmymarriage,howbleakthefutureappearedtomethen,andtheresultingnear-suicidaldepression.IsaidhowgladIwasthatnolethalprescriptionwasavailableformethen.Isaidthatmeetingdisabledpeopleandbecomingpartofanactivistcommunitygotmeoutofthedepression.ThatIfellinlovewithNadina18yearsagoand,inspiteofmylosingfunctionandattimesbecomingdepressed,Ileadafull,richandveryhappylife.

Nadinapickeduphereandsaidthatlosingfunctionoftenisaccompaniedbytemporarydepression,andthathavingavailablealethalprescriptionwouldbeverydangerousforsomeonewithaprogressivedisability.Thenshestartedsayingthatassistedsuicidewasusuallypresentedasa“choicefortheterminallyill,” buthereweweretalkingaboutpeople(Montel,Dana)whowerenotterminallyillbuthaddisabilities.Dr.Ozdidn’tlethercontinue.Hequicklywalkedawaywiththemike,whileNadinayelled“I’mnotfinished.”

During the break, Nadina complained to Dr. Oz that she had not been allowed to speak. “I’llcomebacktoyou,”hesaid.Buthenever did.

InthenextsegmentDr.Ozbroughtontwomorepanel guests,Dr.IraByockandBarbaraCoombsLee from Compassion and Choices. Dr.Byockwasverygood,statingtherewasnoneedforassistedsuicidegiventheavailabilityofgoodpalliativecare.HepointedouttoDanathatshecouldrefusetreatment.Hedidsoinaverygentleway.Heaskedher:“doyouwanttotellyourdoctors,maybenexttimeyou’rehospitalizedwithpneumonia,thatyou’drathernothavethemdoanything,letnaturetakeitscourse?”(Maybenothisexactwords,butsomethinglikethat).Danadidnotanswer.Dr.Ozquicklysteppedin.“Letheranswer” Nadinayelledout,“shedoesn’twanttodie.” ButDr.Ozhadquicklychangedthesubject.
Montelkeptrepeatinghewantedtomaintainhisdignity.Afewtimesweyelledout“Whatdoyoumeanbydignity?” and“Doyouthinkwehavenodignity?”
BarbaraCoombsLeedidn’tsaymuch.Shedidn’tneedto.Bythetimeshecameon,theargumentinfavorofassistedsuicidehadbeencompleted(ifthereeverwasan“argument”– fromthebeginningitwasclearwhichsideDr.Ozwasonandthattheshowhadbeenscripted). Dr.Ablowwasbooedafewtimes.Dr.Byockwasbooedwhenhesaid,“We’renottalkingaboutchoicebutaboutcontrol.Youwanttomakesureyoudiewithyourbootsonandmakeup.”
Everytimeanewsegmentstarted,Dr.Ozwouldsaythingslike:“Thequestiontodayis:dowehavetherighttoendourownlifeifwe’resuffering?” or“ifourqualityoflifehasdeteriorated?” Onthebigscreensthequestionwas:“Doyouthinkyouhavetherighttoendyourownlife?” (justassloppyandastheshow’s onlinesurvey, conflating suicide with assisted suicide, conflating the right to refuse treatment with assisted suicide).
Thefinalsegmentwassupposedtobequestionsandcommentsfromtheaudience.Weweredividedbyanaisle into pro and con.Duringthebreak,Nadinamanagedtogettheattentionoftheproducer,Greg,whointerviewedusbeforetheshow.“Dr.Ozdidn’tletmespeak,” shetoldhim.“NDYershaveauniqueperspective.Wewanttobeheard.” Heanswered:“I’msorry.”
Dr.Ozletaright-to-liferspeakbriefly.Hecalledme(Danny) ahero.AndMontelreplied:“let’s not pitpatientagainstpatient.”Julieyelledout:“We’repeoplenotpatients”, but without the microphone, none of us could be heard. Ahospicenursespokeagainstassistedsuicide,mentioninghowawoman’slifewasprolongedlongenoughforhertoholdhergrandchildinherarms.Butmostofthecommentswerefromtheother sideoftheroom.Horrorstoriesaboutpeoplemadetosuffer, told by someone other than the person, and you couldn’t tell the real cause of the suffering.
Nadina,Julie,Bill,HopeandArikeptraisingtheirhandsbutDr.Oztotallyignoredus. Oneguysaid:“TheseNotDeadYetmembersareselfish.They don’t care about people suffering. Theydon’twantanyonetohavechoice.” Weyelledout“It’stheotherwayaround.”
Dr.Ozkeptignoringus.Butatonepoint,hewasrightnexttoAriandArihadhishandraisedrightinfrontofDr.Oz’sface.Dr.Ozaskedhim:“Areyourighttolife?”Arianswered:“No,I’mwiththeNationalCouncilonDisability.”Dr.OzlethimspeakandAriwasgreat.HegavesomestatisticsaboutOregon,andeven mentionedtheLatimercase, the Canadian farmer who got a lot of support from the assisted suicide movement when he was prosecuted for murdering his 12-year-old daughter with cerebral palsy.
WetriedaftertheshowtoreachouttoDana.Julietriedtocatchupwithherandherfamily,butwaspushedawaybyDr.Oz’sproductionassistants.  AllofusNDYerswereextremelyfrustratedandagitated.Weallagreedwehadbeensetupandjustusedaswindowdressing.
Thataudiencewasamicrocosmofoursociety.Mosteveryoneinthataudiencewasconvincedthatdisabilityisafateworsethandeath.Mostofthoseinfavorofassistedsuicidethoughtwewereselfishforwantingtolivenomatterwhat.Others,liketheright-to-lifers,sittingalongsideus,sawusasheroicandsaintlyforputtingupwithwhattheyimaginedwasgreatsufferingandnotsuccumbingtosinfulthoughtsofsuicide. Sittinginthatstudio,wesawmoreclearlythaneverhowveryimportantNotDeadYet’sworkisandhowextremelydifficult.

My thanks to Bill, Danny, Nadina and all of the other disability activists who went through the ordeal or participating in what – in hindsight – is a circus masquerading as a show on health issues.  –Stephen Drake

Dr. Oz Show – A Disabled FEN Member Doesn’t Like How He Was Treated, Either

disrespect, Dr. Oz, entertainment, final exit network, Kurt Perry, media issues, misrepresentation, Our News & Commentary Blog

 I hope to have some first-hand accounts up by Monday next week from NDYers and other disability activists who went to the taping of the Dr. Oz show on assisted suicide.  While extensive edits have to be done on the show to shorten it to fit available air time, all reports so far say that it was a circus, and at least one of the disability activists we know felt like nothing more than windowdressing.  This didn’t come as a surprise considering the constantly changing stories from the producers, contradictory communications with people figuring out their travel to the show, etc.

I know some people might be thinking that the staff of the Oz show make lied and treated disabled people disrespectfully might just be our own anger showing – at a staff and show that came out with a very big pro-assisted suicide slant.

But it turns out that our friends and allies weren’t the only ones who formed a very low opinion of the staff at the Dr. Oz show.  Yesterday, Kurt Perry, who was invited to be on the show originally, left two long messages in the “comments” section of the previous blog post about the show.

Kurt Perry is a member of the Final Exit Network (FEN).  We wrote a little about Mr. Perry in this post in 2009.   This 2009 Chicago Tribune article goes into detail about him and his relationship with FEN.  He is on the opposite side of the assisted suicide debate.  So I think it’s significant that his interactions with the Dr. Oz staff left a bad taste in his mouth.  Below are the messages edited together into one post:

I agree with what you said, in regards to the Dr. Oz show. I was contacted by a few of their show producers last week on Wednesday, regarding their interest in having me there to participate in the “Assisted Suicide” episode. During the initial conversation, they asked me very personal questions about my health and my viewpoints regarding the right-to-die. The conversation made me feel like I was being investigated by them. They wanted to know very specific details about me, including when I plan to “exit”, my method for “exiting”, and my involvement in FEN. They also wanted to send a video camera to my home, asking me to film an elaborate video for their show, detailing my health condition by showing how it has physically affected me, etc. Initially, they made the episode seem like it was going to be a personal “intervention” episode, which I conveyed to them I wasn’t interested in participating in that kind of episode, that my focus in the media, is to discuss about right-to-die issues. They responded, explaining that the episode would involve discussion by a few “experts”, alongside me, my being an integral part of the episode. They continued to mention how “important” the video they wanted me to make of myself, was to the show, and repeatedly trying to get me to assure them that I’d be available for their field producer to guide me through making this video for them.

They also had their “travel team”, contact me that day, to set up travel arrangements, which they made it seem that the “travel team”, was in-house, rather than as a third-party company they outsource potential guests’ travel arrangements to. While the “travel team” did in fact contact me on Wednesday evening, to set up the travel arrangements, they never contacted me back with any sort of followup information, let alone finalized details of the travel plans. After not hearing from anyone connected with the show at all on Thursday, other than the field producer, I began to have concerns about this, as being a person who suffers from disability, I need to have travel arrangements made as soon as possible, in order to physically prepare to travel, and to have assurance prior to that, in that my travel needs are being met. On Friday, I still hadn’t heard back from the “travel team”, but I was told by the show producers I spoke with on Friday, that the “travel team” was indeed a third party company, and how it was impossible for them to accommodate my needs of knowing the travel arrangements right away, which after a long debate regarding other issues, the show producers acknowledged that they indeed could find out the travel arrangements right away. The long debate mostly pertained to how I’d be accommodated at the show, which led into a debate regarding the show itself.

By Friday, the show producers had strayed away from their previous insistence of me making the video, as I still was concerned that it could be used as a way of developing a personal story about me. The show producers were now telling me that the episode was going to center around Compassion & Choices, along with a panel of their experts, but not involve me for more than two or three minutes, and that quite possibly, the segment featuring the portion of it that I’d be in, could very well be edited out. Despite my being hurt and offended at the way the show producers had been misleading me, I still was interested in attending the show, in wanting to at least be able to speak with people backstage. However, the show producers suddenly decided to inform me, that I’d be required to give them permission to access my entire medical history through all of my medical records, etc. They claimed it was for legal reasons to prove that I indeed have neuropathy. I suggested to them, since I barely was going to get a chance to speak at all on the show, that I not even be mentioned as having a neuropathy, but simply that I’m “disabled” and that I’m a member of Final Exit Network, along with any allotted time I’d have in speaking. They denied my suggestion, hence, I didn’t end up going on the show. 

Seems to me that if a disabled guy from FEN thinks the Dr. Oz crew are jerks when it comes to disability and the NDYers (and friends) think the same thing….  They probably are jerks, at least when it comes to disabled people.  Maybe they’re different when it comes to nondisabled people.  –Stephen Drake

Media Alert – Looks Like “Dr. Oz” Is Planning Slanted Show on Assisted Suicide

assisted suicide, barbara coombs lee, Dr. Oz, ira byock, keith ablow, media coverage, media issues, Our News & Commentary Blog, right to die

There’s a major problem with shows hosted by medical professionals.  On the one hand, viewers are encouraged to believe that due to the professional credentials of the host, any discussion of a complicated topic treated on that show is going to meet some kind of high professional standard.

The truth is, though, that such shows are meant for entertainment – and they better work as entertainment or they won’t get a sufficient audience to survive.  So the trick of these shows is to convey the message that they are serious and promoting in-depth discussion of important medical, cultural and social issues.

The latest such professional to carry that off successfully is Dr. Mehmet Cengiz Öz or, as he is more commonly known, “Dr. Oz..”  According to Wikipedia, he got his media start as a health expert on Oprah.  The Wikipedia entry is a portrait of a bright and accomplished individual, with some interesting contradictions.  On the one hand, he’s the director of the Cardiovascular Institute and Complementary Medicine Program at New York-Presbyterian Hospital and has received numerous awards for his medical work.  On the other hand, as the wikipedia entry states, he was “awarded” the “2011 James Randi Educational Foundation Media Pigasus Award, which the foundation states is for promoting “nonsense”. The foundation complained about Oz’s support of energy medicine, faith healing and psychic mediums, among other controversial practices. Oz is the first person to receive a Pigasus Award two years in a row.“

Having viewed a couple of segments of his syndicated show, my impression is that while I don’t doubt he’s highly professional in the operating room, it’s the showman part of his personality that presides over his show.

All of that is a really long lead-in to the news that Dr. Oz is doing a show on assisted suicide.  They will be taping tomorrow (October 198).  A number of disability activists will be in a small select audience around a panel of “experts” during the show (this is not the show’s everyday format, but is a customary format for the more controversial segments).

I expect that readers of this blog might wonder how Dr. Oz will do handling this complex topic.

So far, the indications aren’t good that this show will be handled well at all.

NDY was contacted last week by one of the show’s producers.  We were asked to participate in the select audience and suggest other disability activists who might want to participate. Their plan, we were told, was to have members of NDY, Final Exit Network, Compassion & Choices, etc. to make up the select audience and to have the panel be composed of Dr. Oz and two others who were not from these pro or con assisted suicide groups..

After several days of making arrangements for people to contact producers, we got the news on Friday last week (October 14) that the panel of experts was set and contrary to previous statements, Barbara Coombs Lee (President of Compassion & Choices) would be on the “expert panel.”

The members of the panel, will, of course, get most of the air time.  So who else is on the panel of experts?

  •  Dr. Keith Ablow – appearing as an expert opposed to assisted suicide, Ablow is another media medical expert, most often seen these days on Fox News.  His essay following Kevorkian’s death showed no real knowledge of the nonterminal status of Kevorkian’s “clients” or awareness that Kevorkian had a very broad agenda in terms of who should be eligible for his “assistance.”  It’s doubtful that Ablow has any real indepth knowledge of the practices, politics and personalities in the assisted suicide debate.
  • Dr. Ira Byock – appearing as an expert opposed to assisted suicide, Dr. Byock is currently Chair, Palliative Medicine, Dartmouth Medical School; Director of Palliative Medicine, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center; and Professor, Dartmouth Medical School, Departments of Anesthesiology and Community and Family Medicine.  Dr. Byock has been a consistent and clear voice of opposition to assisted suicide and can speak eloquently as to how quality palliative care and hospice render any “need” for assisted suicide moot.  Because he spends his professional life helping real patients and families facing impending death, he’s also not likely to have much familiarity with the intricacies of the practices and rhetoric of the assisted suicide movement in cases where they’ve moved beyond “terminal” as the important criterion for eligibility. (disclosure: I know Ira Byock personally, and I think maybe the most important thing to know about him is what I wrote in a previous post – “everything I know about Ira Byock supports the belief that his entire career has been devoted to better patient care – most of it at people’s bedsides.  If I – or someone close to me – was seriously ill, I would love for him to be in charge of the care for me or a loved one.”)
  • Montel Williams – appearing as an expert in favor of assisted suicide. While Montel Williams has done great work with programs raising funds for research into treatment and/or a cure for multiple sclerosis (which he himself has) and to link low-income people up with a program that allows them to obtain medications they need but can’t afford, there’s little evidence he brings anything into this discussion except a personal viewpoint and his celebrity status.

So that leaves Barbara Coombs Lee as the only one on the panel with comprehensive knowledge about developments, politics, etc regarding assisted suicide – simply because it’s her job to keep track of those things.  It’s also her job to spin the facts (or more than spin) to put the best face possible on both assisted suicide and her organization.

That’s a textbook example of how to build the appearance of balance while stacking the deck.

Not that any of this matters to Dr. Oz or the show itself.  You can see for yourself how little effort and thought they’ve given to what they call a “survey” on their site which solicits people’s opinions on the “right to die.”  The trouble is, the whole thing was put together in a way that totally conflates refusal of treatment with assisted suicide.  We sent in a written request for the survey to be edited to use clear terminology, with a brief explanation, which the producer assured us was forwarded to the person in charge of the online surveys. I suspect that Dr. Oz, if confronted with the sloppiness, would throw some staffperson under the bus.  But it’s all under his name and I’m sure he’s made it clear just how much detail they need to bother with – which in this case is not much.

The link to the “survey” is here.  Please feel free to fill it out and leave comments.  Maybe they’ll even read them.

The final punchline in all of this is that the panel/audience taping is expected to be about 90 minutes long.  That means barely half (approx. 44 minutes) of the taping ends up airing.  There is no guarantee that anything from any NDYer or disability activist will get aired at all.  (I’m guessing they’ll be generous with air time to Ablow and Williams in hopes of a future media quid pro quo.)

If what you’ve read here concerns you in terms of how the (I’m struggling to avoid wizard of oz puns) show will handle this, please feel free to to contact the show via this online form.  –Stephen Drake