Jack Kevorkian: Free After 8 Years in Jail
The release of Jack Kevorkian could begin another bout of efforts, some to prevent anyone else from following in his footsteps.
"One of the driving forces of the (Oregon) law was to prevent the Jack Kevorkians from happening," Kate Davenport, who is a communications specialist at the Death with Dignity National Center in Portland, Ore."It wasn't well regulated or sane," she said. "There were just too many potential pitfalls."
The 79-year-old Kevorkian was sometimes criticized by assisted suicide supporters. His unconventional practices was a cause of controversy. To assist in the suicide of his "patients", he used a machine that was his own invention that would administer fatal drugs to their system. He often dropped the bodies off at hospital emergency rooms or even coroner's offices. Sometimes, he let them be discovered in the motel rooms he met the people he wanted to help at.
When Kevorkian was out of jail, some doctors were actually scared to give their dying patients too much pain medication for fear they would be accused of hastening their death.
Currently, the law in Oregon only allows terminally ill and mentally competent adults to ask a physician to prescribe them life-ending drugs. The request must be made once in writing and twice orally. Oregon's law shows that only a small percentage of people will ever choose to quicken their death according to Sidney Wanzer, a retired Massachusetts doctor who is a leader in the right-to-die movement, according to the Associated Press.
Oregon's state report has reported that between 1997 and the end of last year, 292 people have asked their doctors for the prescriptions that will end their lives. Last year, 46 people used the drug, and most of them had cancer. Their average age was 74.
Experts say that the awareness for caring for the terminally ill has become more popular since their has been so much attention on assisted suicides.
Both supporters and opponents of physician-assisted suicide say that more needs to be done for pain treatment and care of people who are dying or suffering from terrible pain.
"The solution here is not to kill people who are getting inadequate pain management, but to remove barriers to adequate pain management," says Burke Balch,who is the director of the Powell Center for Medical Ethics., according to Associated Press."We need to come up with better solutions to human suffering and human need," Balch said.
originally reported by Kathy Barks Hoffman, Associated Press writer, "Kevorkian's cause founders as he's freed"
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070527/ap_on_re_us/kevorkian_s_release
Published by Amalynn
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12 Comments
Post a CommentI just watched the HBO movie, "You Don't Know Jack." It was a profound, moving, and intelligent docudrama. I can't say anything more than what's been said here already. Dr. Kevorkian was a man who tried to move this country in the right direction, in allowing rational people to make a rational choice to die in the face of immeasurable pain & an absolutely terminal condition. We as a society have done nothing in the meantime to make this situation any better & have, in fact, done horrible things to people to keep them alive when all they want is to die. It's a travesty. As "Courtney" said: "If someone doesn't put a dog in pain to sleep they are widely considered cruel & neglectful; why can we not apply the same logic to humans who are not only in pain but also capable of expressing their wishes to die peacefully?"
I also have to say that Courtney's comment is not only thoughtful but well written & expressed, much more so than the article presented here, which has such b
If someone doesn't put a dog in pain to sleep they are widely considered cruel and neglectful.. why can we not apply the same logic to humans who are not only in pain but also capable of expressing their wishes to die peacefully?
i agree dr. kevorkian had it right helping people who had a death sentenc with a long painfull end. they have rights to what medical actions are take to benifit ones own life's dr.s and nures are always trying to get pt.s more involded in their care and terments its no different.
Abortion is okay but suicide is not; who are we kidding?
Abortions okay but suicide is not is not who are we kidding?
Totally agree with Mark Kirkland. Kevorkian should never have been sent to jail for trying to help people who were terminally ill. If people are suffering horribly and in constant pain, they should have the right to kill themselves as it is their own decision to make, not the decision of the authorities.
It's OK to prison him, but not the executioners on death row? His were sick, death row, healthy?
I just don't get it :-(
A democracy would allow terminally or elderly to choose to end their lives with the help of a kind and understanding doctor. Recently a woman threw herself in front of a train in an attempt to kill herself. She was rescued, lost several limbs and remains in a coma on life-support equipment. She had no ID on her, fingerprints do not help determine who she is, so the cost of these operations and keeping he alive is paid for by tax dollars or the hospital profit. The medical profession does much to keep people alive even when they are ready to go. People should be allowed to choose a death with dignity rather than years of suffering and non-productivity. The Christian god allows free will, humans do not.
I think the Director of Medical Ethics in your last paragraph said it well. Perhaps with better approaches to pain management there would not be a need to the death machine Kevorkian invented.
I agree as well.. Kevorkian did not belong in jail. He just gave people peace when they needed it the most..