Jack Kevorkian

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Jack Kevorkian

Jack Kevorkian during his public appearance in January 2008
Born May 26, 1928 (1928-05-26) (age 80)
Pontiac, Michigan
Nationality American
Occupation Pathologist

Jack Kevorkian (pronounced /kɛˈvɔrkiːɛn/[1]) (born on May 26, 1928[2]) is an American former pathologist. He is most noted for publicly championing a terminal patient's right to die via euthanasia; he claims to have assisted at least 130 patients to that end. He famously said that "dying is not a crime."[citation needed]

Between 1999 and 2007, Kevorkian served eight years of a 10-to-25-year prison sentence for second-degree murder. He was released on June 1, 2007, on parole due to good behavior.[3]

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[edit] Biography

Kevorkian was born in Pontiac, Michigan, to Armenian-American parents. He graduated from Pontiac Central High School with honors in 1945, at the age of 17. He then enrolled at the University of Michigan Medical School, from which he graduated in 1952.[2]

In the 1980s, Kevorkian wrote a series of articles for the German journal Medicine and Law that laid out his thinking on the ethics of euthanasia.

Kevorkian started advertising in Detroit newspapers in 1987 as a physician consultant for "death counseling." In 1991 the State of Michigan revoked Jack Kevorkian's medical license and made it clear that given his actions, he was no longer permitted to practice medicine or to work with patients. Between 1990 and 1998, Kevorkian assisted in the deaths of nearly one hundred terminally ill people, according to his lawyer Geoffrey Fieger. In each of the above mentioned cases, the individuals themselves allegedly took the final action which resulted in their own deaths. Kevorkian allegedly assisted only by attaching the individual to a euthanasia device that he had made. The individual then pushed a button which released the drugs or chemicals that would end his or her own life. Two deaths were assisted by means of a device which delivered the euthanizing drugs mechanically through an IV. Kevorkian called it a "Thanatron" (death machine). Other people were assisted by a device which employed a gas mask fed by a canister of carbon monoxide which was called "Mercitron" (mercy machine). This became necessary because Kevorkian's medical license had been revoked after the first two deaths, and he could no longer have legal access to the substances required for the "Thanatron".

[edit] Art career

Kevorkian is a jazz musician and composer. The Kevorkian Suite: A Very Still Life was a 1997 limited release CD of 5000 copies from the 'Lucid Subjazz' label. It features Kevorkian on the flute and organ playing his own works with "The Morpheus Quintet". In the liner notes for the CD is a message from Kevorkian where he cites Johann Sebastian Bach as his greatest musical hero. He also writes he is a big fan of musicians such as Benny Goodman and Artie Shaw. On the cover of the album is a painting from Kevorkian entitled "A Very Still Life".

Kevorkian is an oil painter. Of his known works, 6 were made available in the 90s for print release. The Ariana Gallery in Royal Oak, Michigan is the exclusive distributor of Jack Kevorkian's artwork. The original oil prints are not for release.

[edit] Trials

Kevorkian was tried numerous times over the years for assisting in suicides. Many of these trials took place in Oakland County, Michigan. In every instance prior to the Thomas Youk case (see below), Kevorkian was beginning to gain some public support for his cause, as is evidenced by the defeat of Oakland County prosecutor Richard Thompson by David Gorcyca in the Republican primary. The result of the political election was attributed, in part, to the declining public support for the prosecution of Kevorkian and its associated legal expenses. Kevorkian also demonstrated a flair for dramatic publicity stunts at this time, showing up at one trial in a powdered wig. He protested an incarceration pursuant to another trial by staging a hunger strike and wore a placard challenging the Oakland County prosecutor to bring him to trial for the death of Youk.

[edit] Conviction and imprisonment

On the November 22, 1998, broadcast of 60 Minutes, Kevorkian allowed the airing of a videotape he had made on September 17, 1998, which depicted the voluntary euthanasia of Thomas Youk, 52, an adult male with full decisional capacity who was in the final stages of ALS. After Youk provided his fully-informed consent on September 17, 1998, Kevorkian himself administered a lethal injection. This was novel, as all of his earlier clients had reportedly completed the process themselves. During the videotape, Kevorkian dared the authorities to try to convict him or stop him from carrying out assisted suicides. This incited the district attorney to bring murder charges against Kevorkian, claiming he had single-handedly caused the death.

On March 26, 1999, Kevorkian was charged with first-degree homicide and the delivery of a controlled substance (administering a lethal injection to Thomas Youk). Kevorkian's license to practice medicine had been revoked eight years previously; thus he was not legally allowed to possess the controlled substance. As homicide law is relatively fixed and routine, this trial was markedly different from earlier ones that involved an area of law in flux (assisted suicide). Kevorkian, however, discharged his attorneys and proceeded through the trial pro se (representing himself). The judge ordered a criminal defense attorney to remain available at trial for information and advice. Inexperienced in law and persisting in his efforts to appear pro se, Kevorkian encountered great difficulty in presenting his evidence and arguments.

The Michigan jury found Kevorkian guilty of second-degree homicide. It was proven that he had directly killed a person because Thomas Youk was not physically able to kill himself. The judge sentenced Kevorkian to serve a 10-25 year prison sentence and told him: "You were on bond to another judge when you committed this offense, you were not licensed to practice medicine when you committed this offense and you hadn't been licensed for eight years. And you had the audacity to go on national television, show the world what you did and dare the legal system to stop you. Well, sir, consider yourself stopped." Kevorkian was sent to prison in Coldwater, Michigan.

In the course of the various proceedings, Kevorkian made statements under oath and to the press that he considered it his duty to assist persons in their death. He also indicated under oath that because he thought laws to the contrary were archaic and unjust, he would persist in civil disobedience, even under threat of criminal punishment. Future intent to commit crimes is an element parole boards may consider in deciding whether to grant a convicted person relief. After his conviction (and subsequent losses on appeal) Kevorkian was denied parole repeatedly.

In an MSNBC interview aired on September 29, 2005, Kevorkian said that if he were granted parole, he would not resume directly helping people die and would restrict himself to campaigning to have the law changed. On December 22, 2005, Kevorkian was denied parole by a board on the count of 7-2 recommending not to give parole.

Terminally ill with Hepatitis C, which he contracted while doing research on blood transfusions in Vietnam,[4] Kevorkian was expected to die within a year in May 2006. After applying for a pardon, parole, or commutation by the parole board and Governor Jennifer Granholm, he was paroled on June 1, 2007, due to good behavior.[5] He had then served eight years of his sentence.[6] "Kevorkian will be on parole for two years, and one of the conditions he must meet is that he cannot help anyone else die. He is also prohibited from providing care for anyone who is older than 62 or is disabled. He could go back to prison if he violates his parole." [7] Kevorkian said he would abstain from assisting any more terminal patients with death, and his role in the matter would strictly be to persuade states to change their laws on assisted suicide.

On June 4, 2007, Kevorkian appeared on CNN's Larry King Live to discuss his time in prison and his future plans.[8] At the time of Kevorkian's release, the only state in the United States that had legalized doctor-assisted suicide for terminally ill people was Oregon.

[edit] Activities after his release from prison

On January 15, 2008, Kevorkian gave his largest public lecture since his release from prison, speaking to a crowd of 4,867 people at the University of Florida. The St. Petersburg Times reported that Kevorkian expressed a desire for assisted suicide to be "a medical service" for willing patients. "My aim in helping the patient was not to cause death," the paper quoted him as saying. "My aim was to end suffering. It's got to be decriminalized." [9]

[edit] 2008 Congressional election

See also: United States House of Representatives elections in Michigan, 2008
Sister project Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Jack Kevorkian
Sister project Wikinews has related news: Assisted-suicide doctor Jack Kevorkian to run for US Congress

On March 12, 2008, Kevorkian announced plans to run for United States Congress to represent Michigan's 9th Congressional District against long term congressman Joe Knollenberg (R-Bloomfield Hills) and Central Michigan University Professor Gary Peters (D-Bloomfield Township). He ran as an independent.[10][11] He did not get elected to office.

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ inogolo: how to pronounce Kevorkian
  2. ^ a b Jack Kevorkian
  3. ^ Frail and smiling, 'Dr. Death' walks out of prison - CNN.com
  4. ^ Jack Kevorkian Attorney Says His Health is in Serious Jeopardy
  5. ^ ABC News: Dying 'Dr. Death' Has Second Thoughts About Assisting Suicides
  6. ^ "Assisted Suicide Doctor Released From Prison", VOA News, Voice of America (01 June 2007). 
  7. ^ Kevorkian released from prison after 8 years - Health care - MSNBC.com
  8. ^ Inside Cable News :: Dr. K on Larry King Live… :: June :: 2007
  9. ^ News - - Gainesville.com
  10. ^ The Oakland Press: Local News
  11. ^ Mooney, Alexander (2008-03-12). "Kevorkian to run for office", CNN. Retrieved on 13 March 2008. 

[edit] Further reading

[edit] External links

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