Adapt of Texas

ADAPT has a sister organization Not Dead Yet! and many of our members (though not all) belong to both. Not Dead Yet is against physican assisted suicide. We have a tremendous concern about the slippery slope, that people with disabilities are encouraged in so many ways to "get out of the way" and "stop wasting resources." Of course it is rarely put so bluntly, but the message is out there in our society and can manifest itself in something as innocent as not wanting to be a burden. We also think there is absolutely not reason physicians should be called to assist in this way. There are plenty of others who could perform this function from death and dying couselor-types to Terminex. Having doctors perform this "service" is a conflict of interest with their hippocratic oath and can cause distrust in the doctor patient relationship.

I think you are already working with David Wittie on this but the ADA no longer considers support dogs to be service dogs and so service dogs aren't covered by the ADA. (Even stranger, the ADA now only recognizes dogs and miniature horses as service animals.) The state of Texas passed a different law regarding support animals and allowing them in public accomodations. It has mostly been publicized for veterans with PTSD but it actually covers more than just veterans. Contact David at our office for more info.