In this week’s edition, we have ICE detaining a Disabled Canadian and her mother, two worldwide updates on Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID) legislation, some news about the latest Dr. Oz-led kerfuffle, and an ableist public statement of, well, Trumpian proportions.
Oz Escalates Medicaid Fraud Claims Against States After Focus on Minnesota
Bram Sable-Smith, KFF Health News
All eyes have been on Minnesota as of late, not just because of ICE’s antics but also claims of Medicaid fraud in the state. Now, according to KFF, TV host turned failed political candidate turned Trump appointee, Dr. Mehmet Oz, is looking to also throw the social safety net for Americans into even deeper jeopardy.
Although Oz’s office appears to be tamping down its rhetoric, as reported by the Minnesota Reformer, there is still concern that California, Florida, Maine, and New York could all see additional political pressure. What that pressure may look like is somewhat unclear, but one researcher said that removing funding—which Minnesota has been threatened with repeatedly—is akin to a “nuclear option.”
The fraudulent activity, and the resulting investigations, have already caused downstream effects. It thwarted the political ambitions of Gov. Tim Walz, has left many Disabled Minnesotans without needed supports, and has given license to a Trump administration hellbent on punishing Democratic-led states.
These accusations of fraud are not new. They date back to the Biden administration and initially centered on autism-support providers.
From the Story: “It’s going to hurt a lot of people if they end up going through with this. Of course we support going after fraud [but] this overly aggressive action is missing the point. It’s not punishing fraudsters. It’s punishing the people.”— Sumukha Terakanamibi, policy consultant
Trump says presidents ‘should not have learning disabilities’ as he mocks Newsom’s dyslexia
Sareen Habeshian, BBC
President Donald Trump, already known for his ableism, was at it again last week, this time saying that people with learning disabilities shouldn’t be president and that dyslexia is a mental disorder. This, despite the fact that many American presidents have been Disabled and dyslexia is a common learning disability.
His own well-publicized access needs aside, Trump is often keen to point to disability as to why someone can’t or shouldn’t do something. How did Newsom react? Well, he didn’t exactly shy away from using ableist rhetoric himself, calling Trump a “brain-dead moron”.
From the Story: “Honestly, I’m all for people with learning disabilities, but not for my president. I don’t want, I think a president should not have learning disabilities, OK? And I know it’s highly controversial to say such a horrible thing.” — Donald Trump
Alberta bill would limit medically assisted dying to patients facing ‘reasonably foreseeable’ death
Janet French, CBC
The Canadian province of Alberta has introduced a bill that would limit access to Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID). Led by an increasingly populist conservative government, this is seen by some advocates as a rare win. Advocates for MAID have had eyes on expanding in Canada since 2015 when a court ruled that the requirement for the patient’s death to be foreseeable was unconstitutional.
However, that’s not the end of the story. While Alberta seeks to limit the treatment’s scope, and to bar out-of-province applicants from accessing MAID, it is also a province that has been increasingly hostile to marginalized residents. Alberta’s premier, Danielle Smith, has openly supported a separatist referendum, overseen cuts to the province’s income support program for Disabled people. Meanwhile there is sizeable concern that the limits on MAID will not be accompanied with tangible increases in support for Disabled residents.
From the Story: “We know it [MAID] reinforces incredibly negative and dangerous stereotypes about the value and worth of the lives of people with disabilities. And so we’re very pleased to see this legislation today that serves to protect them” — Trish Bowman, CEO of Inclusion Alberta
Scotland’s assisted dying bill has fallen. What happens now?
Megan Bonar, BBC Scotland
In another MAID development, Scotland’s parliament—which controls, among other agenda items, the country’s health policy—has defeated a bill that would have legalized MAID. Elsewhere in the U.K., the Westminster bill that would have legalized assisted dying passed the House of Commons but has gained little traction in the House of Lords. This means that the legislation is unlikely to pass. Those who would like to see MAID introduced highlight the need for one to choose their method of death. These advocates tend to be older people and their family members, often with the resources to avoid being a victim of the UK’s failing social safety net. Those against MAID agree with MAID advocates that people deserve agency over their own death, but that governmental systems shouldn’t be creating a tool that makes killing Disabled people easier while social funding dwindles.
This isn’t a new fight in Scotland, with efforts to introduce MAID dating back to at least 2010. British Disabled activists are exhausted at the continued attempts to pass the legislation and it seems those efforts see no signs of slowing down.
ICE detains B.C. mom, daughter in Texas, amid bumpy road to citizenship
Amy Judd and Victoria Femia, Global News
The horrors of ICE’s actions have reached past America’s borders once again as a Canadian mother, Tania, and her autistic daughter, Ayla, were detained and are likely held in Texas. They were stopped on the way back from a baby shower, along with Edward Warner, Tania’s husband and Ayla’s step father.
Tania was initially denied a pathway to citizenship because of her husband’s status as a registered sex offender, though the current status of their immigration paperwork is unclear; authorities say she overstayed her visa.
From the Story: “We do not do this in Canada. We do not detain seven-year-old autistic kids in immigration detention without solid reasoning. If this family is correct, their immigration paperwork was 100 per cent-a-OK, someone’s got a lot of explaining to do on the American side.” — Richard Kurland, immigration lawyer
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