Matt Fairchild died by assisted suicide after a 10 year battle with Stage 2 melanoma.
However, this story does not cite pain as the primary reason Matt Fairchild died by assisted suicide. His widow explains in a video that “hospice did their best… but he could not stand up on his own, he could not go to the bathroom on his own, he could not even sit up on his own.”
Taking nothing away from Mr. Fairchild’s suffering or his illness, these are all newfound disabilities. There are millions in this country who cannot stand up, go to the bathroom, or sit up on their own who deserve assisted suicide prevention care when they feel that those disabilities are too much to bear and ask for help in suicide.
For people with disabilities, it is vital to ensure that they have access to care, services, and supports. Assisted suicide laws are most often used by people with disability-related concerns, like feeling a burden on their family, loss of the ability to control bodily functions, and loss of mobility. Advocating for a public policy motivated by a fear of disability sends the message that disability is a fate worse than death
Statement on Alzheimer’s Awareness Month Dolly’s World is overseen by a Wisconsin matriarch with dementia who surrounds herself with dolls and lovingly cares for them. Just as her dolls need her, she also needs 24/7 care which her family provides by taking turns to stay with her and keeping the public aware of what goes
Psychiatrists Warn of Assisted Suicide for Mental Illness A recent article in the National Post discussed the differences that several Canadian psychiatrists have when discussing assisted suicide for those with mental illness. Several psychiatrists oppose extending Canada’s assisted suicide laws and the fact that they put vulnerable people at risk of deadly harm. Below is
Summary of Massachusetts Hearing Last Friday on October 20th, 2023 between 9:00 a.m. and 12:45 p.m., Massachusetts civil rights champions assembled and outnumbered assisted suicide proponents at the Massachusetts State House to ask Massachusetts legislators to once again vote “NO” to the dangerous and discriminatory public policy of assisted suicide. Notable testimony was provided by
