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Are ICU triage protocols harming the disabled during the COVID-19 pandemic? This is a very important issue, one I’ve posted about before, as well as appeared on the TVO #onpoli podcast. And now, I’m taking it one step further through collaboration with the amazing Laurie Proulx and Emily Sirotich on an opinion piece for the BMJ.  These decisions must respect human rights, dignity, and fairness:

“Much of the covid-19 pandemic messaging focuses on protecting those who are at high risk of catching coronavirus more easily, developing complications of the illness and dying, but efforts may have the opposite effect. In the current healthcare crisis, there is more demand for healthcare services than there are available resources, necessitating the development of Intensive Care Unit (ICU) triage protocols. These protocols are used to prioritize who has access to the ICU where there is constant care by highly trained healthcare professionals and access to life support equipment such as ventilators. Such triage protocols ensure a standardized allocation of scarce resources, maximizing lives saved. ”

Read the rest of our opinion essay on ICU triage protocols and disability discrimination on the BMJ.