Posted on 06/03/2011 8:42:20 PM PDT by Morpheus2009
Dr. Jack Kevorkian, the Michigan pathologist who championed physician-assisted suicides, died early Friday after being hospitalized with kidney problems and pneumonia.
The 83-year-old Kevorkian, who said he helped some 130 people end their lives from 1990 to 1999, died about 2:30 a.m. at William Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak, Mich., close friend and attorney Mayer Morganroth said.
An official cause of death had not been determined, but Nurses at the hospital played recordings of classical music by composer Johann Sebastian Bach for Kevorkian before he died, Morganroth said.
Kevorkian was freed in June 2007 after serving eight years of a 10- to 25-year sentence for second-degree murder. His lawyers had said he suffered from hepatitis C, diabetes and other problems, and he had promised in affidavits that he would not assist in a suicide if he was released.
In 2008, he ran for Congress as an independent, receiving just 2.7 percent of the vote in the suburban Detroit district. He said his experience showed the party system was "corrupt" and "has to be completely overhauled from the bottom up."
His life story became the subject of the 2010 HBO movie, "You Don't Know Jack," which earned actor Al Pacino Emmy and Golden Globe Awards for his portrayal of Kevorkian. Pacino paid tribute to Kevorkian during his Emmy acceptance speech and recognized the world-famous former doctor, who sat smiling in the audience.
Pacino said during the speech that it was a pleasure to "try to portray someone as brilliant and interesting and unique" as Kevorkian and a "pleasure to know him."
Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2011/06/03/assisted-suicide-advocate-jack-kevorkian-reportedly-dies-at-michigan-hospital/#ixzz1OHoP9yv3
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
I understand what you are saying about the issue, it is complex, and varies depending upon the situation. However, putting the power of who lives and who dies into a single person is dangerous game, as absolute power corrupts absolutely. People all throughout society should know about a living will, and take one out on yourself, dictating whether feeding tubes, sedatives, etc. should be used on you.
I understand the part from what you mean by legal documentation. Jack acted without one, and that is what made his actions a crime. But yes, I did get the surprise when I found out one day that I had actually gotten the advanced healthcare directive out for myself but my own physician hadn’t. People should know about it early on, set their terms, and whenever that Terri Schiavo event should happen, the terms are set and that situation is hopefully avoided.
Apparently he asked for them to play him some Beethoven music, plus administer some sedatives before he finally bit it.
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