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Author Archive: Neil Skjoldal
06/05/2017
Buck v Bell at 90 years old
Last month marked the 90th anniversary of Buck v Bell. Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes wrote the Supreme Court decision that ruled that Virginia’s sterilization law was constitutional and infamously stated regarding the litigant Carrie Buck, “Three generations of imbeciles are enough.” In his 2016 book Imbeciles: The Supreme Court, American Eugenics, and the Sterilization of Carrie Buck (Penguin), Adam Cohen goes over the facts of... // Read More »
06/05/2017
Buck v Bell at 90 years old
Last month marked the 90th anniversary of Buck v Bell. Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes wrote the Supreme Court decision that ruled that Virginia’s sterilization law was constitutional and infamously stated regarding the litigant Carrie Buck, “Three generations of imbeciles are enough.” In his 2016 book Imbeciles: The Supreme Court, American Eugenics, and the Sterilization of Carrie Buck (Penguin), Adam Cohen goes over the facts of... // Read More »
05/01/2017
Health care as a right
Reports on President Trump’s first 100 days have dominated the news lately. Some have argued that he has not been able to deliver on his promises, while others have pointed out that he is slowly but surely keeping them. No matter what your political perspective, you will be able to find a cable news channel or some other media outlet that validates what you have... // Read More »
04/03/2017
On Slippery Slopes
In a recent commentary ethicist Arthur Caplan discusses the difference between physician-assisted dying (which he finds morally permissible) and physician-assisted suicide (which he finds troubling). He notes that “there are some very disturbing developments” in Belgium and Holland. Instead of having a terminal illness as a trigger, these countries have a different standard: “Are you suffering and is it irremediable?” Caplan notes, “During the past year,... // Read More »
03/06/2017
On Cuba’s Birth Rate
Last month The Washington Post reported that “Cuba is giving parental leave to the grandparents of newborns, the country’s latest attempt to reverse its sagging birthrate and defuse a demographic time bomb.” Upon closer look, the low Cuban birth rate has been a cause of concern for years. Of course, fewer babies spell demographic trouble. The population on the island country is aging and if things continue, there... // Read More »
02/06/2017
Bioethics & SCOTUS Appointment
Some of us had hoped that bioethics would have been an issue in the presidential election of 2016, but that was not to be. Now, less than three weeks into the Trump presidency, bioethics appears to have resurfaced in the nomination of Judge Neil Gorsuch to be an associate justice on the Supreme Court. Amidst all the media coverage of his appointment, The Washington Post, among... // Read More »
12/31/2016
Happy New Year!
As I sit to write this blog, 2016 is nearing its end. It seems like many people are quite happy about this prospect. I must admit, the year became rather wearying at points with all of its ups and downs. I took a few moments to reflect upon my blogs from the past year. Zika, physician-assisted death, and pharmaceutical prices were some of things I... // Read More »
10/24/2016
Race & Physician Assisted Suicide
Is physician-assisted suicide only for white people? That is a question that came to mind when reading a recent Washington Post article by Fenit Nirappil that reports on the proposed “Right to Die” law in Washington, D.C. The law is drawing opposition from members of the African American community. The Post article quotes a Georgetown Law School professor, Patricia King, who states, “Historically, African Americans have not... // Read More »
October 10, 2016 A few blogs ago, I discussed a Time op-ed that spoke of a Christian perspective to physician assisted suicide. Understanding that Christian is a hopelessly ambiguous term, I wanted to see if there was anything noticeably Christian about the op-ed. My reflection at the time was that any advocate of PAS – Christian, religious, spiritual, or secular—could have written the piece. The... // Read More »