Jack Kevorkian Essay

Kevorkian then tried to put an ad in a county medical society’s bulletin, asking for terminally ill patients who wanted help in committing suicide. The medical society rejected him, but a local TV station reported on his assisted-death

be fed orally because of blistering in the mouth and throat. Any movement of the

“A serial mercy killer” (The Right To Die, 80). This is what some would define what Kevorkian did. Kevorkian, however does not feel this way. He performs his acts for the greater good in his eyes. However, he never hesitated to try any other treatments that could result in the patient’s improved health, whether it be antibiotics, or even experimental drug maintenance programs (The Right To Die, 82). He feels that medically assisted suicide is an essential option to those that are incurable and dying (The Right To Die, 83). Kevorkian’s main concern for his terminal patients was their comfort and confidence in their decision. He explains the death his patient’s experienced as being “like a painless heart attack in a deep sleep”(The Right To Die,

By contrast, Oregon being the only law allowing terminally ill adults to request a lethal dose of drugs from a physician requires two physicians to agree the patient is of sound mind and has less than six months to live. California is in the works of voting on a similarly careful measure. One of its sponsors cites Dr. Kevorkian as “the perfect reason we need this law in California. We don’t want there to be more Dr. Kevorkians” (The New York Times, 2007).”

Participation brings about noticeable changes of those Physicians involved. In a question asked by Baroness Finlay he inquired of Dr. de Graas if it was accurate that doctors who participate in Physician-Assisted Suicide were emotionally drained, and described it as being emotionally difficult and often they need to take time off afterwards. Dr. de Graas responded that this has been his personal experience with

Secondly, Dr. Kevorkian used the helpless and the powerless people. Though they never say it explicitly, people with incurable diseases come to doctors to seek for professional suggestion and especially moral support. True that Kevorkian gave his terminally ill patients his version of professional suggestion, but the suggestion he gave clashed from the moral support they desperately needed. Position yourself on this kind of situation. If you had a friend or relative who got incurable disease(s), would you suggest him to see Dr. Kevorkian? Would you suggest him to die? As a fellow human being, and especially as a doctor, Kevorkian shouldn’t have discouraged his patients, particularly the hopeless ones. Moreover, according to an article on the New York Times, at the end of his own life, as he weakened each day in the hospital, Jack Kevorkian couldn’t take the advantages he had offered to others. “This is something I would want,” he once said. He should have assured his patients the same way he would do to himself. If not, he should have at least encouraged them with the positive thoughts, told them to focus on the positive things about life and not to give up.

Reed Karaim author of, “Assisted Suicide” explains a study conducted by Margaret Battin, a prominent professor of philosophy and internal medicine in the Division of Medical Ethics at the University of Utah in Provo. Her study found that those who used the lethal medication were white, privileged to an education, and enjoyed socializing economically and professionally (Karaim 455).

A lot of hospitals would be against it. Due to the fact that they rely on those patients and the income they receive from them. Some people argue that if physician assisted suicides were legalized that a lot of people would be tempted and would most like to take that option. As a sort of easy way out of their situation. This in turn would decrease the hospitals income, their equipment and possibly diminish their staff. Once all that has happened the quality of healthcare will lower as well. Due to outdated equipment and medicine, not enough staff to cover everybody. Also hospital would start to greatly rely on more government funds, fundraisers and would more than likely have to increase the prices for treatments. Which as of today, many people can barely afford without insurance. Physicians could suffer as well through pay cuts. Also after helping a patient with a suicide the physician could start to feel great amounts of guilt. Which would affect his work and family life. The patients family as well might start giving the physician grief and trouble. Just for doing his or her job.

You’re visiting the hospice for the twenty-third day in a row; the soft squeaking of the linoleum and the gentle buzz of the fluorescents in the waiting room greet you as you walk in. You’re visiting your Grandmother, whose lung cancer has entered metastasis, and has been slowly spreading throughout her body; she has already lost movement in her arms. She is a hollow shell of the woman she once was; her once bright eyes have been fading steadily every day, and her bubbly demeanor has become crushed and gravelly, and every day before you leave, she will only say, “Kill me.” What would you do in this situation? Would you break the law in order to respect your elder’s wishes? It is a cruel reality we live in when ability to choose the time

Dr. Jack Kevorkian more commonly known as Dr. Death is greatly known for his opinion that euthanasia should be legalized and his work with patients seeking help. He was very important in showing euthanasia and voicing his opinion on the subject so the public could not ignore the importance of the matter. Dr. Kevorkian was said to have been involved with 130 suicides by patients who wanted to end their own lives (Nicol and Wylie 17). He had two machines he used to help the patients, one an injection and the other a mask, however both machines were operated by the patient and although Dr. Kevorkian was taken to court many times for these he was not convicted because the patient was in control. He was very careful as to not actually commit the act himself until he was contacted by Thomas Youk, a young with Lou Gheric’s disease; Lou Gheric’s disease is when the muscle stop working and eventually the patient chokes to death. Tom’s condition prevented him from actually operating the machines and therefore Dr. Kevorkian decided that he would operate the machine himself because he cared greatly about all his patients and could not let Tom live in his constant fear (Nicol and Wylie 11). Dr. Kevorkian taped Tom’s wishes and then himself hooking up the machine and pushing the button to inject the drugs. He then proceed to

Is the role of a medical professional to ensure the health and comfort of their patients, or to help them end their lives? Since Dr. Kevorkian assisted in the suicide of Janet Adkins in 1990, physician-assisted suicide (PAS) has been one of the most controversial issues in the medical field today. While some view it as an individual right, others view it as an unethical issue that goes against medical ethics and religious values. Mr. H. M. is an elderly man who is diagnosed with terminal lung cancer and no chance of improvement. After excruciating pain and suffering, he has decided to request physician-assisted death in his home state of Oregon. Oregon’s Death with Dignity Act (DDA) states that terminally ill patients are allowed to use

Is euthanasia murder or is it actually saving someone from extra pain and suffering? This is just one of the questions that are causing so much debate in our society today. Should euthanasia be illegal?

     Assisted suicide is one of the most controversial topics discussed among people every day. Everyone has his or her own opinion on this topic. This is a socially debated topic that above all else involves someone making a choice, whether it be to continue with life or give up hope and die. This should be a choice that they make themselves. However, In the United States, The land of the free, only one state has legalized assisted suicide. I am for assisted suicide and euthanasia. This paper will support my many feelings on this subject.

People have different ideas of a good essay. Essays that are interesting to the readers. For an essay to be considered a good essay, it has to be entertaining, the readers should be able to picture an image in their mind. For many others, they may have different ideas about what a good writer is. For example, I don’t like it when writers give out too much information. They will describe things and go on and on about it. Others might like this, but I don’t like it when the writers do this. Most writers have one of the qualities that I think makes a good writer. They don’t have to have all three qualities for me to think that it’s a good essay.

I would like to begin by defining the issue of the article by Patrick Nowell-Smith. The issue of his article is legalizing euthanasia and giving people a right to decide when and how to die.