Advancing the Disability Rights Perspective on Bioethics Issues
Posted by Marcy Darnovsky June 26, 2014
Biopolitical Times
The first-ever Disability Rights Leadership Institute on Bioethics (DRLIB for short) brought together about 65 U.S. disability rights advocates to discuss a wide range of issues. The Institute, held in April in Arlington, VA, included presentations – and vibrant discussions – on:
- Withholding Medical Treatment, Diane Coleman (Not Dead Yet)
- Assisted Suicide Laws, Marilyn Golden (Disability Rights Education & Defense Fund)
- Keynote speaker, Liz Carr (comedian and BBC drama series actor; UK Not Dead Yet activist)
- International Perspectives in Europe and Canada on Assisted Suicide and Euthanasia, Nic Steenhout (Vivre dans la Dignité) and Amy Hasbrouck (Toujours Vivant / Not Dead Yet Canada)
- Key Issues in Reproductive Technologies, Marcy Darnovsky (Center for Genetics and Society) and Silvia Yee (Disability Rights Education & Defense Fund)
- Wrongful Birth/Wrongful Life Torts, Samantha Crane (Autistic Self Advocacy Network)
The speakers’ presentations, powerpoints, and recommended readings are now available online at the DRLIB website, and lead organizers Diane Coleman and Marilyn Golden have each written a description of and reflection on the event.
Previously on Biopolitical Times:
- Old Songs, New Tests, and Expensive Children
- Anatomy of a Webpage: Marketing Fetal Gene Tests and Sequenom’s MaterniT21
- Genetic Testing for Down Syndrome: What It Can and Cannot Tell You