"The Mother Situation" https://goo.gl/7TFAuW is a darkly satirical, award winning, 7-minute film which illustrates the potential for abuse when assisted suicide is made legal. There is no question it could happen here in Vermont, where there are no requirements for oversight when prescriptions for suicide drugs are requested and filled. When a person dies after having … [Read more...] about Satirical short film on assisted suicide hits home
Elder Abuse
Pressure to Die: A Case Study of Abuse of Act 39
Eighteen months ago True Dignity ran the following story about an elderly Medicaid patient who felt pressured to request assisted suicide by caregivers in the facility where she was admitted for recovery from a fall. The patient did not have a terminal diagnosis. Beth Neill, the patient's daughter, who reported the abuse to True Dignity, has since passed away. We are running … [Read more...] about Pressure to Die: A Case Study of Abuse of Act 39
From the Netherlands to Vermont: Patients Under Pressure to Die
Around one in five patients who choose euthanasia in the Netherlands acts under pressure from family members, according to a leading expert on the ethics of assisted dying, as reported last week in Dutch News: http://www.dutchnews.nl/news/archives/2015/07/pressure-on-patients-is-cause-for-concern-euthanasia-expert/ According to the report, Professor Theo Boer, who teaches … [Read more...] about From the Netherlands to Vermont: Patients Under Pressure to Die
Testimony Began Today in Vermont House Human Services Committee: Is Act 39 Working?
The following is the written testimony submitted to the House Human Services Committee, and given in person by Lynne Cleveland Vitzthum of the Vermont Center for Independent Living. Kudos to Vitzthum for staying on message through repeated attempts by Committee Chair Anne Pugh to insist that disabled people are not vulnerable under this law. This testimony and … [Read more...] about Testimony Began Today in Vermont House Human Services Committee: Is Act 39 Working?
Accepting Assisted Suicide and Euthanasia Dangerously Creates a “Special Class” of Homicide, Almost Never Investigated
Much has been written about how legal assisted suicide and euthanasia (two sides of the same coin under our current US laws) dangerously affect the doctor-patient relationship. The article below, written for True Dignity by disability rights activist W. Carol Cleigh, explores the way legal assisted suicide dangerously affects law enforcement. Read this account of the Jack … [Read more...] about Accepting Assisted Suicide and Euthanasia Dangerously Creates a “Special Class” of Homicide, Almost Never Investigated