Dr. Jack Kevorkian — embraced as a compassionate crusader and reviled as a murderous crank — died early this morning. Known as Dr. Death even before launching his fierce advocacy and practice of assisted suicides, Kevorkian, 83, died at Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak, where he had been hospitalized with kidney and heart problems.
His attorney, Mayer Morganroth, said it appears Kevorkian suffered a pulmonary thrombosis when a blood clot from his leg broke free and lodged in his heart. With Kevorkian was his niece Ava Janus and Morganroth. “It was peaceful, he didn’t feel a thing,” Morganroth said. Morganroth said there were no artificial attempts to keep Kevorkian alive and no plans for a memorial.
Kevorkian had recently been diagnosed with liver cancer, which may have been caused by hepatitis C, said his long-time friend Neal Nicol of Waterford. Kevorkian did not have symptoms for years from hepatitis C, Nicol said, but the virus can cause liver cancer and ultimately fatal complications, particularly in the elderly.
I love all the “black and white” judgements here. My uncle Jack was a grand fellow and dying from cancer. He left the hospital to go home and die in his own bed with his family near him. He died on his own terms.
Staying in the hospital would have given a few more weeks of life. Is that suicide? Were the doctors and his family complicit?
foobar–whats wrong with making black and white judgments when the values at hand are black and white.
You are even (strongly implied) being black and white in your own story.
I HATE the equivocating that clouds clear thinking. 99% of the time, if you have an opinion, it should be black and white, backed up with facts and arguments that are sensible and responsive (not dogma) and if you don’t have issues resolved so that you are being black and white, then simply say you don’t know or have no opinion.
Waffling is never good, even though I have my own killer home made recipe. The secret is buckwheat flour and cornmeal.
Well bobbo, that was disappointing. There was nothing black and white about it.
Fundamentalists everywhere.
#3
Proper term for what Kevorkian supported is voluntary accepted murder
Simply not true. Murder is death such that the target is given no choice in the decision. The people helped by Kevorkian wanted to die. They wanted to kill themselves. If someone had handed them a gun, they would shot themselves. Kevorkian simply assisted in a decision already made by the person in question to end their own life.
#12
Well said.
Instead of being labeled Doctor Death, he should have been called Doctor Dignity. Because he only wanted people to have the choice to check out, before becoming totally helpless and a huge financial burden on their families. But the rest of the medical profession has taken this “never let them die” approach. At least if there’s plenty of money to be had, by stretching out their suffering.
Perhaps they should let the terminally ill volunteer to fight the wars overseas. Because they don’t seem to care how many healthy young soldiers die in the process. Let the ill, take some flack, in their place. Many of them would probably jump at the chance to check out that quickly. But you know the backward ass logic of modern society. It says that only the healthiest and youngest, are allowed to take deadly risks. What totally insane world did I wake up into?
I fart into my desk chair and pontificate in an arrogant and uninformative way. Herp-a-durp-a-durp I’m Bobbo!
http://strimoo.com/video/10556161/Mr-Derp-MySpaceVideos.html
#30
Isn’t everybody anti-sin? It just depends on what your definition of “sin” is. Or do the acolytes in the Church of Atheism actually advocate doing evil? Based on some of your bretheren at the Altar, that might not come as much of a surprise, but I’m somewhat shocked to see you advocate it in public! Are you pro-pedophilia? Pro-murder? Pro-hate crime? I know that you think same-sex marriage is an abomination, but are you really advocating dragging gay couples behind a pickup truck? Zounds!!
Yo old people, if you get too expensive to take care of, we’re pulling the plug. If you complain then you are just serving the interests of the big drug companies.
#36–foobar==you ambiguously say: “There was nothing black and white about it.” /// What “it” are you referring to? I have to guess, and doing so it “should be” the decision to kill yourself? Many of the component issues therein are black and white/yes or no/done or not done. In the main, either an individual gets to chose how they exit this veil of tears, or others are allowed to veto that desire and force unwanted extension of the dying process onto people. Isn’t that black and white? Either/or? Yea or Nay?
Other issues we can imagine may be constructed to raise the gray, just as they can be otherwise.
No foobar, the intelligent person goes for the black or white as the preferred state of things ===WHILE always open to the exceptional gray areas.
I’m pretty black and white that you will disagree. You won’t have any reasons, but you will disagree. Prove me wrong, in that black and white way you disapprove of.
#40–The Tangy Mister Mustard, making a comeback after nearly dying in surgery?==Its been so long, hope you are well and up to your tasty condiment role. In honor of my past thumpings by you, I will parse:
Isn’t everybody anti-sin? /// No. But we have to go sin by sin for any meaningful discussion.
It just depends on what your definition of “sin” is. /// Exactly but any list will/should have some dissent. Humans are like that.
Or do the acolytes in the Church of Atheism actually advocate doing evil? /// Sinning and Evil are not the same thing. No one is hurt if I worship a false god or work on Sunday, or marry 6 underage little girls—some have argued.
Based on some of your bretheren at the Altar, that might not come as much of a surprise, but I’m somewhat shocked to see you advocate it in public! /// Ok, I’ll give you some slack as you must be rusty on that keyboard.
Are you pro-pedophilia? // Only at the margin.
Pro-murder? /// Never “pro” but again at the margin as in some laws against it.
Pro-hate crime? //// Should be a mitigating factor, not a crime in itself==but probably not much of a distinction there.
I know that you think same-sex marriage is an abomination, /// No, just a fact.
but are you really advocating dragging gay couples behind a pickup truck? /// No. Are you confusing me with your main doppelganger here, Alfie?
Zounds!! /// Abounds.
Keep the good stuff coming Mustard, you can get back up to speed in no time.
“Isn’t everybody anti-sin?” Nope, there are certain ones I happen to be quite fond of. Also many sins are culturally based, one societies sin is another cultures norm.
#41, Lyin’ Mike,
Yo old people, if you get too expensive to take care of, we’re pulling the plug. If you complain then you are just serving the interests of the big drug companies.
Yup. The Republican Death Panels, as evidenced in Arizona and Indiana. Coming soon to a right wing nut state near you. Practiced for years by the Republican supported health insurance companies.