I keep hearing about how disabled people are panicked over covid-19. As a disabled person, I know this is true… The fear and outrage are real. I was born with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), a neuromuscular weakness, and have never stood or walked. My respiratory muscles are so weak that the slightest cold could kill me. So

  The suicide rate in the United States continues to rise, increasing 35% for almost two decades from 1999 through 2018, according to a new data brief released by the National Center for Health Statistics on Wednesday. The report included mortality data from the center’s National Vital Statistics System. The data showed that the suicide

  In a recent Letter to the Editor (“A good time to take action on end-of-life options,” by Eric J. Ruby, M.D., Taunton Gazette, March 31), the author used the coronavirus pandemic as an opportunity to urge state legislators to pass the “End of Life Option Act” (H.1926). There is never a good time to

  Regarding the recent letter from Don P. Perez, MD, I must respectfully yet strenuously disagree. His letter opined that in spite of the coronavirus outbreak state legislators must move forward on passing H. 1926 and S. 1208 which would legalize physician assisted suicide (PAS) in Massachusetts. Actually, it is because of the coronavirus outbreak

  The New York State Legislature should promote skilled end-of-life care rather than focusing on ending life prematurely. The International Association of Hospice and Palliative Care recently published (Journal of Palliative Medicine 2017; 20:8-13) a studied position statement (Journal of Palliative Medicine 2017; 20:8-13). In it they conclude: “No country or state should consider the

“We are grateful that the Office of Civil Rights and the Administration heard the call for equity in triage and the allocation of scarce medical resources by issuing guidance reminding states, hospitals, and medical providers that discrimination will not stand. It is unthinkable, however, that the HHS General Counsel could limit the scope of this guidance by

  The director of the federal health department’s civil rights office said on Saturday that his office was opening a series of civil rights investigations to ensure that states did not allow medical providers to discriminate on the basis of disabilities, race, age or certain other factors when deciding who would receive lifesaving medical care

  In light of the Public Health Emergency concerning the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is providing this bulletin to ensure that entities covered by civil rights authorities keep in mind their obligations under laws and regulations that prohibit discrimination

  American democracy is based on the idea that the voices of the people matter.  As legislators struggle with difficult issues, trying to balance the needs of conflicting constituencies and solve complicated problems, they need to hear the perspectives of the people most directly affected. This is why they listen to hour after hour of

Rear Adm. Tom Steffens, U.S. Navy (retired) When I was on active duty, one of the key tenets of our Navy SEAL Creed was, “Leave no one behind.” I see this same principle alive across our commonwealth as civil society and our public servants work tirelessly to support our 700,000 veterans every day. Despite that

  In 20 years of working with geriatric patients, I have seen the frightened faces, emaciated and bruised bodies, and the hopelessness of abuse victims. My patients taught me the five types of elder abuse: neglect, financial exploitation, emotional abuse, physical abuse and sexual abuse. New York state legislators could create a new category: legally

  Like many people all over the world, I am not leaving the house now. For me, though, staying home is nothing new. I am in bed as I write this, propped up by my usual heap of cushions, talking to other sick and disabled people all day on my laptop about how the hell

  With the looming and imminent threat of insufficient hospital and ICU beds, medical equipment and healthcare staff, I found myself recalling an old favorite TV show from my college years. MASH (mobile army surgical hospital) created both comedy and drama around the reality of having three operating room beds in an army tent on

  As a person who has a significant disability that impacts all areas of my life, I experienced anger, disappointment and frustration in reading the column about Ralph McFadden, who hopes that he is living in Illinois when the time comes for him to take a pill that will cause his death…He has seen people

  The majority of people with disabilities has considered the “End of Life Options Act,” or what ever it is being called this year, otherwise known as physician prescribed suicide. The National Council on Disability came out with a report on Oct. 9 about the dangers of assisted suicide laws for people with disabilities. The council clearly opposes

    Contrary to the March 9 editorial “Avoiding unnecessary suffering,” the data as well as personal experience confirm that assisted suicide puts at risk the lives of many vulnerable people who deserve to be valued equally. Although the editorial asserted that this ill-conceived public policy is intended to relieve suffering, the data it referenced

Dr. Neil S. Kaye is a practicing psychiatrist and Distinguished Life Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association and member of the advisory board of the  National Alliance for Mental Illness-Delaware. …Physicians are terrible at predicting death. At six months out, fewer than 33% of predictions end up being correct. HB 140, the medical aid in dying bill, relies

  More than 100 doctors and health care professionals from around Massachusetts signed onto an open letter urging state lawmakers to sink proposed bills that would open the door to allowing doctors to prescribe lethal doses of chemicals for terminally ill patients… “As physicians and healthcare professionals, we embrace a culture where ALL people receive

In the ten years that Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA) has conducted annual surveys, veteran suicide has always topped the list as the most pressing issue in the membership community. This week, IAVA released our 10th annual member survey, and the results are troubling: veteran suicide numbers continue to rise as the overall