RSSJack Kevorkian, Dr. Death Himself, To Be Paroled Next Week
After 8 years in jail, Doctor Death is being released from jail. The man who assisted in more than 100 suicides and created a national outcry is now being paroled. Jack Kevorkian is one of the more controversial figures in the past 20 years. His actions created a national conversation about the ability for medical professionals to participate in a suicide and what the ramifications were.
Kevorkian, whose health is failing, says he will not participate in assisted suicides, but has said he will continue his advocacy for the process.
His attorney told ABC News’ Law & Justice Unit that Kevorkian would not participate in any more assisted suicides. And he said that Kevorkian, who turns 79 Saturday, is in seriously declining health as he prepares for his parole next week.
For years, Kevorkian was at the center of a national debate around the highly controversial questions surrounding physician-assisted suicides or “mercy killings:” Do the terminally ill have the right to choose when and how they die? Do doctors have the ability, even an obligation, to help them die as they choose?
Polls suggest that a majority of Americans are in favor of physician-assisted suicide. Kevorkian’s attorney, Mayer Morganroth, said his client looks back with qualified regret at the more than 100 suicides he said he assisted throughout the 1990s. It was the assisted suicide of Thomas Youk, who had Lou Gehrig’s disease, whose story was broadcast on “60 Minutes” in 1998, that earned Kevorkian a prison sentence of 15 to 20 years for second degree murder.“He realizes now that breaking laws are not going to help,” said Morganroth. Instead, “he has to speak out” for the legalization of assisted suicide, “and that’s it. He feels he’s lost over eight years of his life. That’s certainly something he’s not pleased with, but he looks at it as he did something that required him to be punished. He broke a law.” via ABC News
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16 Responses to “Jack Kevorkian, Dr. Death Himself, To Be Paroled Next Week”
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If you’ve ever had to take care of someone terminally ill thru hospice…..the cocktails of medicines almost make you think you are doing the same think as Dr. K, only with the assistance of a medically approved entity.
Dr. K, I hope made the medical profession think about the statement ” do no harm” also in using exteme measure to save people, who only end up lifeless in the true sense, but alive.
If I am to live as a vegetable and there is no chance per say that I will ever recover then I would be grateful to the Physician that would help me go out with the most dignity and the least amount of visual pain and distress for my family to endure. JMO for myself intended as this is the most personal decision I believe that anyone will ever face and it must be made by ones self and their God .
I agree with both of you, even though mercy killings do not exactly fit in with the “Hippocratic Oath” when it comes to a doctor practicing medicine. There’s a very fine line to tow, but Kevorkian was only carrying out his patients last wishes.
#1 and #2 – Agreed. Kevorkian was sent to jail to shut him up and shut him down. There’s no cash for the doctors and hospitals after the body expires. I remember of one of his so-called ‘victims’ who had a reported progressive paralysis (don’t remember the disease name) which would have eventually had this person drowning on his own body fluids. Kevorkian saved this guy from suffering that fate, and the State wanted to tell him AND us, that we need their permission as to when to die.
Yes, I had to watch my husband die from cancer, and it broke my heart. Bless his soul. I look back and know that our family suffered watching his death. It’s a horrible experience and I know every family is touched by one if not more of their loved ones suffering. I do not want my children to watch me suffer in death. It should be my decision to die with dignity, and peace.
How was what he done any different than what was done to Terry Schiavo and many others daily in the USA? I don’t think he should’ve ever been jailed to start with. Spend their energy going after pedophiles etc.. They are much more dangerous to our society, than Dr. Kevorkian.
Maybe I am wrong but didnt the person that was incurable get the help of Dr. Kervorkian? Terry Schiavo could not speak for herself in the matter. Besides, in my opinion the person that made the judgement for Schiavo was not the person with her best interests at heart. I feel that way since he had a new wife and new life.
Please Lord save me from the zealots who would prolong my life when it is used up. JMHO
SM Sam
I am sorry, but the decision to end Terri Schiavo’s life was exactly in line with her best interests at heart. Letting a person suffer the indignity of live undead for years and years to come is not my idea of “her best interest”.
Her parents should have learnt to let go instead of holding on the to the empty remains of that which was once their daughter.
5, Exactly my point, It was stated by Terry’s husband, that she wanted to die if she was ever in that shape,,that was legal, they went through with turning her machines off…no legal problems, so why, when a person who requests to die when they are terminally ill..and asks a dr. for help, is it illegal? Her husband remarried after Terry died.
I dare Jack K. to use his own devices to end his own life.
Okay I have all but forgotten most of the details on this case but how long did Schiavo’s husband let her live brain dead?
Animals are treated with more compassion than humans. Rather than let them suffer we put them to sleep. Murderers are treated with more compassion. If I had my choice between suffering in agony in my last days I would opt for being put to sleep.
In July of 2004, because of an illness, I slipped into a coma. A day later, I was on total life support. Of course I had no idea what was going on, but my poor husband did. He did not know for 48 hours if I even had any brain wave activity. It was determined that my illness was due to West Nile Virus; a mosquito borne disease. I was in the coma 14 days and do not remember even feeling sick – it hit me that fast. After I became conscious and sort of alert(!) I asked him what he would have done had I shown no brain activity. Before he could answer, I told him that he better have released me and let me go play among the stars and planets. He told me that he’d never would let me linger as Terry had. Today, I have slight brain damage and some paralysis – but I am here! Its important we all discuss these things with loved ones and have orders written down so no Shiavo problems happen. Watch out for mosquito bites – NASTY little guys, so they are.
I have lots of friends with cats and I have always encouraged them to witness their cat being euthanized, even if they are resistant. Most of them do witness it and every one of them has come to me and said that we are treating animals in a more loving manner than terminal human beings — and we truly are. When it was time for my last kitty to be euthanized the vet even premedicated her with Valium so she would not have any spasms — they also took the fur that they had shaved off her leg and placed it inside the tag of a little stuffed orange cat.
So, I obviously strongly believe in the right for people to choose this if necessary. But…I do remember that Dr. K. helped someone die who had a chronic and painful disease but was far from terminal. She had endometriosis and I know that this is painful because I had it, but I had a hysterectomy, ovaries removed, etc.,with a total cure and no pain, so that did bother me somewhat. Having said that, he did spark dialogue between physicians and their patients and if he did nothing else that is a great legacy.
PMT
Glaswegian –
I’m glad your case of endometriosis resolved well but there is no total cure. I also have the disease. It is now being regrouped as a benign form of cancer; some cancers can be put into remission, others cannot. The same is for endometriosis. Further, it sounds from your description that your case remained restricted to the pelvic area. Many women suffer from the disease throughout the abdominal cavity. Go to wikipedia or the Endometriosis Foundation of America; the disease can and does kill, especially via secondary conditions. Endo can also migrate via the blood to the heart, lungs, brain, etc. I had endo on my liver and diaphragm, wrapped around intestines, bladder and internal female organs, and it nearly caused my appendix to rupture. The disease also bore itself into the sides of my abdomen, caused asthma, hypothyroidism and insulin intolerance which in turn can wear out the pancreas. If you are not careful and consume a diet high in estrogen, you, yourself can have any implants that were not able to be removed stimulated into growth phase again. Please read up and see that endometriosis definitely can be terminal. And, yes, at times, the pain can be unbearable.