Too Late to Die Young: Nearly True Tales from a Life

Harriet McBryde Johnson, whose law practice specializes in disability advocacy, is probably best known for the 13 years she protested the Jerry Lewis Telethon. (She resents how Jerry portrays a child’s MD diagnosis as a “death sentence.”)

In her book Too Late to Die Young, Johnson details what life is like for someone who must depend on a personal assistant to help her attend to many of her daily needs and chores. Johnson explains how she faces her challenges from the seat of her motorized wheelchair by tackling none other than the animal rights advocate and euthanasia champion who believes that “children like her” should be killed at birth to allow the parents to have children who will lead a “happier life.”

Recommended reading:

Unspeakable Conversations
A February 16, 2003 The New York Times Magazine article by disability rights lawyer Harriet McBryde Johnson. In the article, Johnson discusses her trip to Princeton during which she takes part in a class discussion about disability-based infanticide and the prejudices that propel the assisted suicide movement. Johnson also describes her encounters with infanticide advocate Peter Singer.

Time to take back the ADA – RECLAIMING OUR CIVIL RIGHTS
An article by disability advocate lawyer Harriet McBryde Johnson about the clarifications that need to be made to close the loopholes in the Americans with Disabilities Acts. She argues that the burden of proof should be on the employer to show that an employee cannot perform a task, and that the ADA needs to be broadened so that people don’t fall through the cracks of the system.

Related posts:

1. A Better Way to Ensure that Your Health Care Choices are Honored
2. The Culture of Life — The Culture of Death
3. Protection for the Disabled
4. Garlic: One of 10 Natural Remedies That Can Save Your Life

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