Trisomy 18 is a genetic condition that usually results in physical health problems and cognitive limitations. Life expectancy is currently shorter than typical but people can live into their 20’s and 30’s and one American with trisomy 18, Megan Hayes, celebrated her fortieth birthday with fanfare. Unfortunately, it seems that this information has been slow […]
July 12, 2024 HHS Office of Inspector General – Chief Counsel Division P.O. Box 85200 Austin, Texas 78708 Email: IG_Rules_Comments_Inbox@hhsc.state.tx.us RE: Proposed Regulations published in the June 14, 2024 Texas Register Dear Chief Counsel: Not Dead Yet is a national disability rights organization focused on combatting disability- based healthcare discrimination, particularly in the context of […]
Recent Medscape Survey Indicates that Doctors are Divided on Life and Death Issues by Lisa Blumberg Medscape is an online resource for healthcare professionals. It provides medical news and information and does surveys on current issues. (1) Its 2022 survey of 4100 U.S. doctors on “Right and Wrong in Medicine: Life, Death and Wrenching Choices” […]
On July 24th, ADAPT of Texas filed a complaint with the federal Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights (OCR) concerning the death of Michael Hickson, a Black Disabled man, at St. David’s South Austin Medical Center. The complaint called for . . . “. . . an investigation of St David’s […]
ADAPT of Texas members protested on June 28th in front of St. David’s Hospital in Austin where they refused treatment and starved to death Michael Hickson, a black disabled man who died on June 11th, 2020. ADAPT of Texas reported that Michael Hickson was a quadriplegic with a brain injury who was refused treatment for […]
The hospital may not have called it a “futility judgment” when they pushed Chris Dunn to go into hospice as an alternative to spinal cord injury rehabilitation, but it’s hard to see it any other way. Here’s an extended excerpt from United Spinal Association’s New Mobility article “Refusing To Die: The Chris Dunn Story“: By […]
Nine month old Tinslee Lewis was scheduled to die today (11/11/19), based on a Fort Worth hospital’s decision to remove her ventilator under the Texas futility law. The nation’s most infamous futility law provides for ten days notice and you’re dead — unless another willing medical provider takes over. From news video, it does not […]
Good news! Following intervention by attorneys, the Minnesota hospital that we previously reported had planned to stop providing oxygen to a woman with lung cancer decided to follow her wishes to continue treatment. This goes to show, as so many people with disabilities have experienced, that when there’s a power imbalance operating against you, get legal/advocate […]
Friday night, I got a phone call from a woman who said that a Minnesota hospital had stated its plan for Monday at 1:00 pm to discontinue providing oxygen to her friend, Catie, a woman with lung cancer who stated that she wants to live and keep getting oxygen. NDY sometimes gets calls like this […]
This is a followup to yesterday’s post about Chris Dunn. Not Dead Yet of Texas has issued a released a release regarding the “futility” decision being fought by the family of Chris Dunn. For Immediate Release Not Dead Yet of Texas has for the last 3 legislative sessions supported amending the Futile Care language in […]
