I received a sad e-mail today that Tom Marzen, Chief Counsel for the National Center for the Medically Dependent and Disabled, has died of lung cancer. Tom was a tireless advocate for the equal humanity and human rights of people with serious cognitive or developmental disabilities. By the time I first became aware of these issues, Tom was already deeply immersed, striving to prevent dehydrations and protect disabled babies against the imposition of futile care treatment removals, as in the Baby Terry case. He also wrote numerous amicus briefs and articles in defense of the intrinsic value of human life, as this one about the Robert Wendland case. Tom never tired and never allowed setbacks to discourage him from seeking to protect the weak and vulnerable. He will be missed.
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