tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-67446871927047725942009-11-06T03:06:35.178-06:00Since 1983, many people with disabilities have opposed the assisted suicide and euthanasia movement. Though often described as compassionate, legalized medical killing is really about a deadly double standard for people with severe disabilities, including both conditions that are labeled terminal and those that are not. In the photo, members of Not Dead Yet from across the nation protest in Boston Masachusetts outside of the 2000 conference of the World Federation of Right to Die Societies.Not Dead Yetnoreply@blogger.comBlogger258125NotDeadYetNewsCommentaryhttp://feedburner.google.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6744687192704772594.post-12573180086386348922009-10-27T14:03:00.004-05:002009-10-27T15:39:47.289-05:002009-10-27T15:39:47.289-05:00

My reactions to what passes for a "health care" discussion in the US kind of vacillates - between eye-rolling and outright gagging. The ad below evokes both reactions. It's the latest from the Family Research Council, defenders of "family values" and who claim to respect and value human life.In the clip below, however, is a short exchange between a young boy and his grandfather, presumably when

Not Dead Yetnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6744687192704772594.post-5432128512161678612009-10-27T12:24:00.005-05:002009-10-27T13:18:56.005-05:002009-10-27T13:18:56.005-05:00

Update on the article that appeared in yesterday's edition of the Princetonian, which contained inaccurate and defamatory remarks about NDY.The online article has been revised. The article also carries an Editor's note at the end of the article, which we're told was published in today's print edition of the Princetonian:Due to an editing error, an earlier version of this article inaccurately

Not Dead Yetnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6744687192704772594.post-61599751878628000912009-10-26T14:13:00.004-05:002009-10-26T15:36:22.128-05:002009-10-26T15:36:22.128-05:00

(Addendum) - Up top, in the interest of fairness. I just got off the phone with the Princetonian's Editor-in-Chief. He says that tomorrow's edition will carry an apology and correction. The post below is still relevant, though - everyone should know what the fuss is about. --Stephen DrakeLast week, I was contacted by a student working on a story for the Princetonian, the independent student

Not Dead Yetnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6744687192704772594.post-49020552011488254122009-10-07T14:33:00.003-05:002009-10-07T14:46:12.648-05:002009-10-07T14:46:12.648-05:00

Just a brief alert on this one, for anyone interested. Last week, I participated in a taping of a discussion of euthanasia with Dr. Bert Keizer on the show "The State We're In" on the English version of Radio Netherlands.It was a polite discussion, and we covered a lot of territory. Among other things, it turns out that Dr. Keizer, who performs euthanasia on patients in the Netherlands, finds

Not Dead Yetnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6744687192704772594.post-42586772884653999582009-10-07T13:43:00.002-05:002009-10-07T14:08:25.082-05:002009-10-07T14:08:25.082-05:00

For the most complete information on the Betancourt case, including links to other amicus briefs, the best resource I've found is the Medical Futility Blog by Thaddeus Mason Pope. Pope disagrees with NDY on a significant number of issues, but he's an impressive researcher who has posted links to research and news coverage that I've found valuable. He also seems to make an honest attempt to be a

Not Dead Yetnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6744687192704772594.post-16727276155197410422009-10-05T14:36:00.004-05:002009-10-05T16:21:28.108-05:002009-10-05T16:21:28.108-05:00

Last week, Not Dead Yet filed an amicus brief in Betancourt v. Trinitas, an Appellate court case in New Jersey. In additon to NDY, ADAPT, Center For Self-Determination, National Council on Independent Living, National Spinal Cord Injury Association, American Association of People with Disabilities, and Disability Rights New Jersey joined the brief as co-amici.Here's a summary of the case taken

Not Dead Yetnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6744687192704772594.post-15482400041677629182009-09-25T14:59:00.003-05:002009-09-25T15:09:26.098-05:002009-09-25T15:09:26.098-05:00

I'll be writing more on my own next week on this, but the Director of of Public Prosecutions in the UK issued his long-awaited "interim guidelines" on prosecutions in cases of friends/family assisting family members traveling to Switzerland to commit suicide.William Peace at Bad Cripple writes that the guidelines are a slam dunk for assisted suicide:I knew the guidelines released by Keir Starmer

Not Dead Yetnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6744687192704772594.post-70831945371273314352009-09-23T13:58:00.003-05:002009-09-23T14:34:31.947-05:002009-09-23T14:34:31.947-05:00

Steve Gold is a long time friend, ally and warrior in the disability rights movement. Of special interest to NDYers is that Steve was the primary author and Counsel of Record on the NDY amicus brief in the 1996 Supreme Court cases examining assisted suicide as a "constitutional right." Steve has written and filed other briefs on behalf of NDY since then, some of which can be found here.Many

Not Dead Yetnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6744687192704772594.post-61060892550153757852009-09-21T14:12:00.004-05:002009-09-21T15:33:05.832-05:002009-09-21T15:33:05.832-05:00

I'm late getting to this one. Last month BMJ published an editorial by Deputy Editor Tony Delamothe titled "Assisted Dying: what's disability got to do with it?"Here's his intro:The debate on assisted dying has been hijacked by disabled people who want to live. It needs to be reclaimed for terminally ill people who want to die Assisted dying, assisted suicide, assisted killing: call it what

Not Dead Yetnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6744687192704772594.post-58622560850205391472009-09-21T12:57:00.003-05:002009-09-21T13:23:50.059-05:002009-09-21T13:23:50.059-05:00

As often as possible, we like to make it a point to share what other bloggers (especially in the disability community) are saying about NDY-related topics.Our friends at Turner & Kowalski are saying that Suicide Prevention Week Failed Bigtime and invite you to explore the Disability Implicit Association Test.Day Al-Mohamed offers a "Quick Overview on Disability Issues" she's found in the Baucus

Not Dead Yetnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6744687192704772594.post-79215577954346624722009-09-18T12:03:00.002-05:002009-09-18T13:09:41.843-05:002009-09-18T13:09:41.843-05:00

Well, now that National Suicide Prevention Week is over, I guess the field is wide-open when it comes to romanticizing the suicides of people with disabilities in the popular press. Scary thought. Just when I get to the point where I think I've seen everything in terms of sensationalized coverage that condones and sympathizes with the suicides of people with disabilities, something new comes

Not Dead Yetnoreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6744687192704772594.post-26416982830204480582009-09-10T09:36:00.004-05:002009-09-10T12:03:18.578-05:002009-09-10T12:03:18.578-05:00

I'm not sure how many people are aware of this, but we are nearing the end of National Suicide Prevention Week (Sept. 6-12). In fact, today - September 10 - is World Suicide Prevention Day.For readers of this blog, it might have been easy to miss this important week. After all, there have been some strange acts of "recognition" in the press over the last week.For example, on Tuesday, September

Not Dead Yetnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6744687192704772594.post-52623891559094299782009-09-09T13:08:00.002-05:002009-09-09T13:37:01.734-05:002009-09-09T13:37:01.734-05:00

Last week, this blog devoted some space to the oral arguments held at the Montana Supreme Court over a lower court's finding of a "constitutional right" to assisted suicide for "terminally ill" people.Since then, there has been surprisingly little discussion about the decision being awaited in Montana. Nevertheless, some people have been moved to write on the topic and I want to highlight them

Not Dead Yetnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6744687192704772594.post-22202099333109544592009-09-09T11:02:00.003-05:002009-09-09T11:27:55.318-05:002009-09-09T11:27:55.318-05:00

I don't know if there are any journalistic guidelines for using the term "mercy killing" or if reporters just make it up as they go along.A story out today marks one of the more outlandish uses of the term that I've seen in the press. Writing on Newsok.com, the website of the Oklahoman, Nola N. Clay reports on the apparent plea bargain and sentencing of Thomas Wayne Garrett, who attempted to

Not Dead Yetnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6744687192704772594.post-41096605454449733002009-09-02T13:15:00.003-05:002009-09-02T13:24:57.831-05:002009-09-02T13:24:57.831-05:00

I'm still catching up with news and posts that came out during my unplanned hiatus. Last week, the Heresy Corner published a guest blog entry by Clair Lewis, a prominent disability rights activist in the UK.Below is the intro to "My life is unbearable - don't fix it, just kill me":Care staff had to help me out of bed this morning. It happens increasingly often these days, as my incurable disease

Not Dead Yetnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6744687192704772594.post-43537036711002228282009-09-01T12:13:00.003-05:002009-09-01T12:29:18.341-05:002009-09-01T12:29:18.341-05:00

Tomorrow (Sept. 2, 2009) the Montana Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in the Montana Attorney General's challenge of a lower court ruling that defined assisted suicide as a "right."Today's edition of the New York Times contains a fairly good account of the stakes - and stakeholders - in the current legal battle in Montana. Kudos to reporter Kirk Johnson for going beyond the "usual suspects

Not Dead Yetnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6744687192704772594.post-21386455176437485012009-09-01T10:26:00.002-05:002009-09-01T10:39:32.485-05:002009-09-01T10:39:32.485-05:00

Most of our regular readers will know this already from other sources - I've been busy with other issues that have kept me offline for a couple of weeks.Last week, Robert Schindler passed away at the age of 71. Our thoughts are with the Schindler family and we are all saddened by their loss.Here is the statement issued by Bobby Schindler, including instructions for sending your support and

Not Dead Yetnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6744687192704772594.post-55915513622469487172009-08-20T12:19:00.002-05:002009-08-20T12:48:04.390-05:002009-08-20T12:48:04.390-05:00

Today, the New York Times published a long story on hospice and palliative care, and how doctors struggle with balancing the transition from active treatment to palliative care in the final stages of terminal illnesses. Some of it is worked within the context of the current "debate" around advance directives in the health care reform debate.Here's an excerpt from "At the End, Offering Not a Cure

Not Dead Yetnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6744687192704772594.post-21975862055980009772009-08-18T13:36:00.002-05:002009-08-18T14:10:15.237-05:002009-08-18T14:10:15.237-05:00

There were a number of developments over the past week or two that will need to be highlighted here. I am still catching up.In a case of déjà vu (we've had similar cases in the U.S.), a man with quadriplegia has won the "right" to starve himself in Australia.I was looking for the right source material to summarize the situation, and found what I was looking for when reading the blog Turner &

Not Dead Yetnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6744687192704772594.post-41556586342344644242009-08-17T12:32:00.004-05:002009-08-18T09:18:12.983-05:002009-08-18T09:18:12.983-05:00

(Originally Posted on Justice For All Blog on 8/14/09 - and sent to media outlets)August 14, 2009 Disability Community Denounces Rationing Argument in NYT From Not Dead Yet (8/14/09): FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Media contact: Stephen Drake, Research Analyst, Not Dead YetNot Dead Yet and Coalition Denounce New York Times Magazine Article

Not Dead Yetnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6744687192704772594.post-44137437099546918382009-08-17T12:23:00.002-05:002009-08-17T12:30:33.720-05:002009-08-17T12:30:33.720-05:00

Last week, I was on vacation and was fairly successful at staying away from work stuff, except for what was necessary in getting the NY Times Letter out.Since the time it was made public, I've been contacted by a lot of people - through the blog, email and facebook - wanting to get added to the list of endorsers. This week, I'll coordinate with the folks at AAPD to figure out a mechanism for

Not Dead Yetnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6744687192704772594.post-78856674149887018042009-08-11T12:52:00.005-05:002009-08-12T05:12:57.223-05:002009-08-12T05:12:57.223-05:00

Today, a letter has been sent out via postal mail to Gerald Marzoratti, Editor of the New York Times Magazine. The letter conveys complaints about the content of the magazine's recent essay, "Why Must Ration Health Care," which offers up people with disabilities as sacrifices in the efforts to rein in health care costs.The letter was composed by NDY in collaboration with the JFA Action Network,

Not Dead Yetnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6744687192704772594.post-82380757994796797192009-08-07T14:21:00.004-05:002009-08-07T18:13:33.883-05:002009-08-07T18:13:33.883-05:00

As readers of this blog might remember, last May I was confronted by a representative of Lyndon LaRouche's organization at an anti-euthanasia conference. I felt compelled to address his rather shrill attack on what he termed Obama's "Hitler Health Care" from the podium and followed up the next day.Since then, it seems a lot of folks are taking their lead from Lyndon LaRouche. I've grown tired

Not Dead Yetnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6744687192704772594.post-70517247129602020012009-07-28T13:09:00.002-05:002009-07-28T13:25:36.175-05:002009-07-28T13:25:36.175-05:00

Earlier this month, I shared the story of the fight to save the life of Gary E. Harvey. His wife, Sara, has been in a battle with the Chemung County Attorney over guardianship and an imminent threat to have her husband's feeding tube removed.There is some good news to report, although the fight is hardly over. From the Corning Leader:Elmira, N.Y. - A comatose Chemung County man at the center of

Not Dead Yetnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6744687192704772594.post-92133538666006124392009-07-27T14:04:00.003-05:002009-07-27T14:21:29.880-05:002009-07-27T14:21:29.880-05:00

(note: for a variety of reasons, the comments have backed up in the moderation queue. I plan on posting backlogged comments tomorrow, with replies.)The new issue of Time Magazine has an interesting essay by Nancy Gibbs, who is a pretty mainstream journalist. What makes this interesting is that she has taken a look at recent developments on the assisted suicide front, and she's uneasy with what

Not Dead Yetnoreply@blogger.com1