Posted on 06/03/2011 6:26:03 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
Assisted suicide advocate Jack Kevorkian, known as "Dr. Death" for helping more than 100 people end their lives, died early on Friday at age 83, his lawyer said.
Kevorkian died at Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak, Michigan, where he had been hospitalized for about two weeks with kidney and heart problems, said Mayer Morganroth, Kevorkian's attorney and friend.
Kevorkian, a pathologist, was imprisoned for eight years for second-degree murder and was paroled in 2007. As a condition of his parole, he vowed not to assist in any suicides.
He was convicted after a CBS News program aired showing a video of Kevorkian administering lethal drugs to a 52-year-old man suffering from debilitating amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or Lou Gehrig's disease.
(Excerpt) Read more at reuters.com ...
on one hand my fear is that doctor assisted suicide opens the door to doctors killing terminal patients without their consent
on the other my father died a long death with prostate cancer,near the end not even morphine can kill the pain
if there was some way to guarantee that patients are making a well informed decision on their own without coercion
But anyway, I'm sure he's reminiscing about old times with Satan over a long draft of lava right now, and planning His Satanic Majesty's next assault upon God's creation.
Apparently Dr. Death didn’t practice what he preached.....except on others. It’s a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. May He show mercy in His justice.
However, there should be a mechanism in place for people who are of sound mind, that wish to depart the mortal coil.
This guy was an ass about it.
The issue of assisted suicide is a tricky one. I liked how they handled it in the old days. Like when the doctor would give you a bottle of pills for the pain, and "warn" you that if you took too many at once you'd never wake up.
But Kevorkian was a terrible advocate. I really think he was a serial killer hiding as a doctor. He killed people who were merely depressed or had curable or treatable illnesses. He just liked to kill people.
I am very sorry for what you and your father have endured.
It occurs to me that the difference in regards to someone else taking our lives is that there is too much room for abuse, especially with the government being involved. I was diagnosed with Kidney cancer last year and had an opportunity to explore the “option” of controlling my own death. I am open minded about that, but would not want a doctor, who by regulation pressures me or a government representative pressuring me or indeed, a regulation whereby I would not be eligible for life lengthening treatment. All these things are real possibilities when government “legalizes” killing the ill, even at their own request. Our society has diminished the value of life enough.
BTW, I had surgery and at this point it looks very good that they got the cancer!
Awesome news on your surgery...I wish you the best.
You (and others here) make some great points about assisted suicide. My point is I think we need SOMETHING, but indeed there must be a process to eliminate abuse, make sure the patient is of sound mind and indeed terminal, etc.
Entirely unsubstantiated. I don’t mean to defend Kevorkian, but his public stance and publicly known actions do not at all match up with what some “investigative reporters” from the Detroit Free Press allegedly found out.
If indeed he helped people who were not terminally ill, then that’s terribly wrong. There are no ifs, ands, or buts about it.
On one hand, if Kevorkian was helping people commit suicide who were not terminally ill, that’s not far from murder. They may have wanted to die, but not for legitimate reason.
I too am mixed about this. I’ve watched two of my grandparents suffer from cancer. What will happen to a bedridden 90 year old man suffering from bone cancer? My grandfather, a man I loved dearly, wasted away over a period of a few months with a terminal (and very painful) illness. The inevitable result was death.
Consider the case of Terri Schiavo, who was left to starve and dehydrate, Nazi-style, over a period of 13 days in a “health care” facility. Logically, once you decide you will not provide her with food and water, she’s going to die. It’s been established she can’t get that on her own. Why people somehow think it’s acceptable that she died of “natural causes” is beyond me.
Once a person is going to die, I believe there should be an option to do so humanely. I am not sure why it is believed that euthanasia is wrong but suffering in pain to an inevitable death is right. I do not know the full depth of what Kevorkian did and I don’t think anybody but God does. I don’t mean to defend him, but the theoretical concepts he put forward have merit.
There's no money in it. There's no repeat customers.
A zot hasn't been born yet that could hit laz :)
terminally ill? That’s an interesting concept. We’re all terminal. You can be in a LOT of pain and not be terminal - - kind of.....
I really have mixed feelings about this. My neighbor was living hell on earth with lung cancer and other pains. When he killed himself I could not find one reason to say that he was wrong, because I knew how much he suffered.
Our judgment will be proper. That’s what matters. You do what you think you should do and stand up for your actions.
Read up on the disease and get back to me on that...then I'll have a second opportunity to dismiss your opinion.
There is no hope or dignity in fighting a disease like this one...there is only pain, suffering, and death. What is it with people who think others have no right to die? Is it because "only God can take a life"? If that's the case, he's doing a horrible job w/respect to ALS victims. A cure or an easier out...those are the only decent options.
Hey Laz! Welcome back!
The guy was a good Democrat. They think there’s too many people in the world. Doctors should never be involved. It violates their oath. Have the prison executioners do it.
Doctor assisted suicide is alive and well and has been for eons ...
Why is it that anti-government folks want the government to step into private decisions on how to live and die?
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