Dying 'Dr. Death' Has Second Thoughts About Assisting Suicides

May 26, 2006 — Today, on his 78th birthday, Jack Kevorkian, the man known as "Dr. Death," is slowly dying in prison.

And, according to his lawyer, Kevorkian seems to have second thoughts about helping people die.

For years, Kevorkian was the center of a national debate around the highly controversial questions surrounding physician-assisted suicide or "mercy killing:" 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?

Now, as he sits in jail, Kevorkian may have had a change of heart — not about his dedication to the "death with dignity" movement, but on how he went about promoting it."

http://abcnews.go.com/US/LegalCenter...2008364&page=1

Kinda of strange...that "Dr Death" himself is now slowly dying inside prison of Hepatitis C which he contracted serving in Viet Nam.

Questions about this:

1) Do you think based on his circumstances and age that he should be let out of prison to have his last year of life in freedom?

2) Do you think Dr. Kevorkian was right in his assisted suicides? Do you think his heart was in the right place on this issue? Why or why not?

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"What exactly is this foreign policy experience?" Obama said mockingly of the New York senator. "Was she negotiating treaties? Was she handling crises? The answer is no."

I believe that there is worse alternatives than an easy death.. I - of course - don't have experience of chronic pain, but I have understood that it can make life a living hell.. Also the mental degeneration might be difficult for some people bear or a senility with continuos pain, total lack of stimulus and disappearing ability to actually enjoy of anything.. The pain and suffering are serious issues, which may destroy the quality of life.. In the end, what is the worth of living such a life, where you only wish to be dead?

There and many ways you can die - some of them very slow and horrible.. And often the question of the 'suicides' is simply about a choice between an easy death and a hard one.. And when facing the worst of scenarios, you might wish to have that easy option..

Overall, I believe that assisted suicides are ok in some rare cases.. Still, it is a serious issue and nothing to be taken lightly.. I don't know that under which conditions, the assisted suicide could be performed.. I suppose it should take the acceptance of the patient and the doctor or a psycholocist.. I also suppose that as a guideline, the death should be offered only as an alternative to a worse kind of death.. And so - if there would be no cure - there would still be a relief..

- BtD

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"Freedom is the freedom to say that two plus two make four. If that is granted, all else follows."
[George Orwell, 1984]

I've always had a bit of a mixed emotion about it. I guess it has something to do with having a 48 year old sister die of ovarian cancer, a mother die of colon cancer, and a Dad die of Parkinson's.

But I believe there is a fine line between taking that extra step that actually kills someone.....and doing everything possible to enable a person to die with all the pain medication they need to make it bearable, but naturally. My sister had self-administered drugs, so when she felt pain, she could give herself the drugs. Then when she was beyond that, the nurses made sure she wasn't in any pain. There was also DNR (do not resucitate) instructions for her. Meaning that when her organs began to fail, there would be no extraordinary attempts to prolong her life. It was the same for my mother as well. My Dad wanted to die in the last couple of years of his life.....because he had no quality of life. But I think of all those conversations with him that we would have missed.

As far as Kevorkian....I feel sorry for the guy actually. Since he's dying anyway and since he contracted this disease serving his country, I think they should commute his sentence and let him die a free man. Maybe I'm just in a forgiving mood today.

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"What exactly is this foreign policy experience?" Obama said mockingly of the New York senator. "Was she negotiating treaties? Was she handling crises? The answer is no."

I'm sorry for you losses.. It's never easy, when the loved ones leave.. And those are especially nasty ways to go.. My own granma died some time ago, but it was a good way to go.. She lived a full life and didn't need to suffer for long..

I suppose you are right.. The modern medicine offers rather good tools for fighting the pain and providing comfort.. It is questionable that under which circumstances the life would really became unbearable even with the medication.. I guess that many seriously sick people have a death wish, but not because some severe pain, but because a deep depression, which often follows any fatal sickness.. And I seriously doubt that any kind of depression is a good reason for any kind of suicide..

Well, he is already an old man.. If he has survived this long, I doubt it is solely the disease that is killing him, but also the aging.. I don't know.. If he has broken the law, the prison is the right place to be..The other thing is of course the justification of the law..

I somehow doubt he killed anyone just for fun.. He had a different moral not compatible with the law.. I suppose he believed he was doing the right thing.. Not a nice way to die just for standing behind one's believes..

- BtD

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"Freedom is the freedom to say that two plus two make four. If that is granted, all else follows."
[George Orwell, 1984]

Not real sure. He's obviously not any harm to anyone at this point (if he ever actually was at all), but on the other hand, he did break a law repeatedly. It's the kind of Gandhi/Jesus way he went about promoting it that led to them giving such a harsh sentence. It's just that assisted suicide isn't on the same level as freedom for a people or anything like that, so he didn't become the martyr he hoped to. Now that he understands what a dumb stunt it was, maybe he can be trusted.
I do think he was fundamentally right, but he went about it the wrong way. I don't know where his heart really was. He seemed to have kind of a martyr complex... but then again how do you challenge a law if not by breaking it? I think it is definitely wrong when people refer to his clients as "victims" since they commissioned him to euphanize them.
And with all the complaints about starving terminal people made during the Schiavo case, you'd expect more of a movement to allow euphanesia through carbon monoxide. It is one of the least painful ways to go... provided you are given a fatal dose- from what I understand, it is quite awful if you are discovered before you die from the gas and recessitated.

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That information is classified and to be given only on a need-to-know basis...

And I do not need to know.

Yeah, let him out. He`s not likely to re-offend, is he? And I doubt that his release would be an encouragement to others.

I think that, often, the difference between a `good` death and a `bad` death is the level of control that the dying person has. If they can choose the time and place of their death then so much the better.

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Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside of a dog it's too dark to read.
Marx (G.)

His heart is irrelevant. People should have the right to terminate their lives if that is what they want. The government should not be involved except to verify if that is really what they want.

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My Political Blog (Most recent update Oct 3rd) - Which Flame Warrior are you?

1. He is certainly no danger to anyone, so I don't see the harm in letting him out.

2. The single most fundamental right I have is that I belong to me. I do not belong to the state. What I choose to do or have done with my body should be my sole choice.

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I wasn't born with enough middle fingers.