Tuesday February 10th, 2015 – 11am
Posted Feb 10, 2015 11:51:10 AM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
11:00 AM – UW reaction – assisted death
Jay Dolmage, Professor, Department of English Language and Literature, University of Waterloo. Editor of the Canadian Journal of Disability Studies.
The news broke Friday morning – The Supreme Court of Canada opened the door for assisted suicide in this country. The high court judges were unanimous in overturning a ban on physician-assisted dying. The historic decision sweeps away the existing law and gives Parliament a year to draft new legislation that recognizes the right of clearly consenting adults who are enduring intolerable suffering to seek medical help in ending their lives. The case was brought by the families of two now-deceased British Columbia women, supported by the B-C Civil Liberties Association. Last week, we spoke with Jim Sanders, the former President and CEO of CNIB. He was against assisted suicide for years, and is now an advocate for dying with dignity. We continue the conversation this morning with a University of Waterloo Professor. Jay Dolmage it is important to recognize the ways that these lives are already devalued and placed at risk. People with disabilities are already twice as likely to be victims of violence and abuse, often at the hands of caregivers and medical professionals. People with disabilities are already commonly forcibly drugged or subject to unwanted medical intervention, and often isolated. When disability intersects with poverty, linguistic and cultural difference, or minority status, as it very often does in Canada, these people become even more vulnerable.”
11:30 AM – BlackBerry Battle
Kevin Roose, author, The Battle of Waterloo – The life, death, and rebirth of BlackBerry’s hometown
Kevin Roose is the author of: The Battle of Waterloo – The life, death, and rebirth of BlackBerry’s hometown. The New York magazine writer “came to Waterloo to figure out what the decline of BlackBerry has done to the community surrounding it. He wondered: is BlackBerry to Waterloo as GM was to Detroit?”
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