Free Republic

A hospital accused of intentionally killing a teenage girl with Down syndrome has lost its last chance to dismiss, and the case will now move forward, in what her family says is a “first-of-its-kind” jury trial. Earlier this year, the tragic death of Grace Schara came to light. In 2021, Grace died at St. Elizabeth’s Hospital; she had been given a do-not-resuscitate (DNR) order without her or her family’s knowledge or consent; additionally, she was administered a cocktail of drugs — Precedex, Lorazepam, and Morphine — which are known to cause hypoxia, or low levels of oxygen in body tissues....

Dystopia with a smiley face.That is what Canada has turned into. every day you read a story about the government or the health care system (one and the same) offering death as a public service.It’s ghoulish.A Canadian woman seeking help for suicidal thoughts was reportedly told to consider Medical Assistance in Dying by staff at the Vancouver General Hospital.The clinician advised the woman that wait times to see a psychiatrist were extremely long.https://t.co/GrCMvMocrB— ThePublica (@ThePublicaNow) August 10, 2023Vancouver is the suicide capital of the world these days, which is ironic because it is also an idyllic locale. It is just...

A recent op-ed in Newsweek explored a mother’s emotional roller coaster after a friend told her that had she been in her position, she would have aborted her child. Liz Brown discussed the aftermath of hearing that some people think it’s better for her son — who is severely autistic and nonverbal — to have been killed rather than born. Brown was having coffee with a friend when they began to discuss IVF and pregnancy. “[S]he said she couldn’t bear the thought of raising a disabled child and that she would have an abortion if she found out her fetus...

TULSA, Okla. (KTUL) — Lori Brown-Loftis and her husband were excited to expand their family in Oklahoma City. They had told their daughter she was going to be a big sister, started getting the nursery ready, and announced the news on social media. Their excitement was shattered following a 20-week anatomy scan in January 2022, which revealed a rare genetic disorder that was "not compatible with life." Loftis-Brown was faced with two decisions: To choose to have a stillborn baby or to have an abortion. "To have to have carried that pregnancy to term would have been devastating," she said....

In June, when the Supreme Court voted to overturn Roe v. Wade, it was personal for me. As a man, I am not able to give birth, but as a person with a disability — I like to say a difference — and who is currently using in vitro fertilization to prevent passing my condition on to my children, my rights are under attack, too. The fight for abortion rights is my fight, too. I was born with a medical condition called velocardiofacial syndrome. It is a partial deletion of Chromosome 22. The scientific name for VCFS is 22q11.2 deletion,...

The Toronto Star published an excellent article on December 21, 2020 by Lisa Bendall, a disability leader and former editor of Abilities Magazine. Bendall’s article concerns Bill C-7, the bill to expand euthanasia in Canada, and its effect on people with disabilities. Bill C-7 is currently being debated by Canada’s Senate. Bendall explains: Senators are currently deliberating Bill C-7, which would allow assisted suicide for people who aren’t near death. Not all people, mind you; just people who happen to have disabilities. While many of us fear that this bill might steer vulnerable people toward an untimely death, others argue...

LONDON, England, July 11, 2017 (LifeSiteNews) – Great Ormond Street Hospital is arguing that it should be allowed to take Charlie Gard off life support because there's "no benefit" to allowing him to stay alive. A July 6 article from The Telegraph highlights the arguments the hospital initially made in court as it was arguing for Charlie to be removed from life support: Katie Gollop QC, who led Great Ormond Street's legal team, suggested that further treatment would leave Charlie in a "condition of existence." She said therapy proposed in the USA was "experimental" and would not help Charlie. "There...