Kevorkian Essay
Jack Kevorkian is one of America's most controversial people. Since 1989 he has aided in the death of over one hundred people, some as young as twenty-one. Kevorkian has used three methods for assisting in the suicides of his "patients". His original death machine was "execution by lethal injection, except you do it yourself." This death machine was simply a metal pole with bottles containing drug solutions. A needle was inserted into the arm of the "patient" and the flow of saline started. A switch would need to be hit in order to start the death process. First, a solution of sedatives began, followed by a paralyzing drug. Then potassium chloride would stop the heart, causing death. Kevorkian's second machine was very similar to the first one, but it had fewer moving parts and did not include the paralyzing drug. Kevorkian's third machine was very different from the previous two. It consisted of a mask to be placed over the face which was connected by tubing to a canister of carbon monoxide gas. This new machine would cause death from carbon monoxide poisoning. By using these three contraptions, Kevorkian assisted in the deaths of over one-hundred people by delivering a controlled substance to them and should be h
Kevorkian does not limit his services to the terminally ill who are not depressed. In most proposals to legalize euthanasia and assisted suicide "terminally ill" is defined as meaning a life expectancy of six months or less. Yet the majority of Jack Kevorkian's "patients" did not fall within this meaning of "terminally ill." In response to this Kevorkian has defined terminal illness as "any disease that curtails life even for a day." He adds that, if a person is depressed over illness or disability, the depression becomes irrelevant. Published reports and court records clearly show that the majority of Kevorkian's "patients" did not fall within the generally accepted definition of "terminally ill" (life expectancy of six months or less). Some reportedly could have lived for many more months or even for many years. In many of his "patients" other factors may have contributed to their decisions to die. For example: Elaine Goldbaum had financial problems and feared losing her house ; Jonathon Grenz was said to be depressed and overwhelmed with grief following his mother's death. 30 "Kevorkian suicide patient was on Halcion," Detroit News, 11/3/91 Many of Kevorkian's "patients" had options other than death. Janet Adkins, who died on July 4, 1990 at the age of 54 from a lethal dose of drugs, had many other options other than death. She was only in the early stages of Alzheimer's, and her own doctor said she had at least ten years of productive life ahead of her. Janet did not want to be a burden on her family, and thought that her death would be a gift to her family. Marjorie Wantz, who died on October 23, 1991 of a lethal dose of drugs, also had many options other than death. Marjorie suffered from pain in her pelvic area. Although doctors believed the pain was manageable, she did not follow their recommendations. Also, Marjorie was taking large doses of Halicon (a medication which impairs judgement) in the months preceding her death, which greatly inhibited her ability to make correct decisions. Sherry Miller is another one of Kevorkian's "patients" who had options other than death. Sherry died on October 23, 1993 of carbon monoxide poisoning. Sherry was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and could have lived for many more enjoyable years, but, like Janet Adkins, felt that she was becoming a burden on the people that she loved. Sherry also had been suffering from depression, but refused to take her prescribed medication.
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Approximate Word count = 1915
Approximate Pages = 8 (250 words per page double spaced)
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