In Memoriam: Dr. Jack Kevorkian

6 Comments on “In Memoriam: Dr. Jack Kevorkian”

1. They called him “Dr. Death” but the real doctor death is somewhere in a shadow.

   Kevorkian was a picture of being humane, while Dick Cheney was like the negative of that picture, in the sense that one wanted people to suffer but the other wanted them not to suffer.

   One goes to jail but the other is too big to jail.

2. Sorry, no love for Jack from me. Everyone believes he only assisted the suicide of the terminally ill, and that’s just not true. He killed a young man who was paralyzed from the neck down (football injury). He killed a woman who *told* him (falsely) that she had a terminal illness – at autopsy it was found she was perfectly healthy.

   He was irresponsible, at best. Do we want anyone who might be depressed, or whose family doesn’t want the burden of their chronic condition, to walk in to a doctor’s office and ask to be killed?

   Terminal cases, sure, give them a painless exit option. But that’s not what Kevorkian did, and the press did a lousy job in explaining the real Kevorkian.

3. “Do we want anyone who might be depressed, or whose family doesn’t want the burden of their chronic condition, to walk in to a doctor’s office and ask to be killed?”-ER

   Yes, if such is their wish. Perhaps being paralyzed from the neck down for life is something that you can live with but not everyone in such a circumstance should have to.

4. El Ronbo,

   Some people don’t have the money to travel to LA to resist a traffic ticket (suicide by cops).

   BTW you did not mention Dick Cheney.

   Live and let die.

5. If I were paralized from the neck down, I would no longer want to be on this earth. That, to me, is a permanent death sentance. There may be people in that condition who do not feel that way, and that’s great for them, but for me, I would want to go.
   As for your comment about people not wanting the “burden” of taking care of a chronic or terminally ill relative, it could get this way if the GOPers have their way. Many ordinary families now are having to take care of older parents who may be suffering from alzheimers, cancer, or other terminal issues. This does put a strain on people’s emotions and finances. It doesn’t mean they don’t love the person they’re caring for, but they’re not trained care givers and many people are filing for bankruptcy now because of these things. Imagine when Medicare/Medicaid and SS are gone.

6. Rest in peace Dr. K. He did what he did because he believed in helping people end needless suffering when there was no hope of recovery. What he did was an act of compassion. If you have ever walked the halls of a nursing home or an ICU, you would understand. Everyone he helped sought him out and was thoroughly vetted for medical condition and certainty of choice.

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