Elliot Millner, J.D.
Dr. Jack Kevorkian, the Michigan pathologist famous (or notorious, depending on your perspective) for helping in the suicides of over 100 terminally ill people, died recently in Michigan, reportedly of pneumonia and kidney problems.
Kevorkian was sentenced convicted of second-degree murder and administering a controlled substance in 1999 for assisting in the suicide of Thomas Youk, a man suffering from Lou Gherig’s Disease. He was sentenced to from 10-25 years in prison, however was given early release in 2007.
Kevorkian was extremely outspoken in his support of an individuals right-to-die, and of the right of trained medical professionals to assist those experiencing extreme suffering to take their own life if they chose to do so. Although the majority of countries around the world and states within the U.S. have some type of laws against physician-assisted suicide, the practice has a large amount of support. Only the states of Oregon and Washington explicitly permit physician-assisted suicide. 34 states have statutes explicitly making assisted-suicide illegal, while the other states fall somewhere in between.
Regardless of what position you may take on the issue of assisted-suicide, one must respect the amount of dedication Dr. Kevorkian had to his particular cause. To be willing to be vilified and imprisoned for a cause is something that most people would not have the stomach for. Kevorkian was a doctor, he could have easily lived a life of comfort and not gotten involved in something as controversial as assisted-suicide. And, despite some of his most absurd critics, there is no indication that the man simply liked killing people. His intention was to end the suffering of those with no hope for recovery; to allow them to make an informed decision about something that is the ultimate personal decision.
Because of the potential legal ramifications, it is highly unlikely that someone will come along to take Dr. Kevorkian’s place anytime soon. Even in those states that don’t have explicit laws forbidding physician-assisted suicides, the practice can still be covered by the common law, possibly as a degree of murder or manslaughter. Most doctor’s aren’t going to risk prison-time, or even the loss of their ability to practice medicine, to help someone die, even if they support the practice of doing so.
Dr. Kevorkian, love him or hate him, drew a lot of attention to an issue that needed it. He sacrificed greatly for a cause that he adamantly believed in. That act alone is deserving of respect.
