Jack Kevorkian a.k.a Dr Death has died.

Glenn said:
Who can say what he thought?
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I thought maybe he said something during an interview, or in his writings.

Perhaps he was helping them leave this place with some grace and dignity.
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But leaving this place to go where? If he helped them leave here, he was also helping them into somewhere else. What did he think that final destination was (to him)?
 
His paintings also look a lot like Edvard Munch's work.
 
:hmm: one of the paintings appears to be a comment on how life rise up out of the dead. I remember doing a photo of a tree right over a graveyard years ago. I got high grades for that photo in my photography class.
 
Reba said:
I'm not familiar with all of Kevorkian's writings. When he helped people die, did he think that he was sending them to a better place? His art (what little I could bear to view) didn't portray death as a pleasant destination. If that was his image of death, why would he want to assist anyone in getting there sooner?
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He believed he was assisting them in ending their suffering (and he was), and that he was acting upon their request for said assistance. His own personal spiritual belief should not have entered into his decision to comply with any individual patient's request. To allow one's spiritual beliefs to govern medical decisions for any patient is unethical.
 
yizuman said:
Nobody likes to watch someone suffer nor does anyone likes to suffer. But suffering is part of life. It's easy to run away from suffering, but it takes bravery to endure it to the end.

Yiz
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That is a decision you can make for yourself. You cannot make it for another person.
 
Reba said:
But leaving this place to go where? If he helped them leave here, he was also helping them into somewhere else. What did he think that final destination was (to him)?
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Why would it matter what Kevorkian thought? He was carrying out the wishes of others. His role was supportive and empathetic. He wasn't initiating this.
 
Bottesini said:
I was re-reading Frankl's thoughts today. I like his philosophy.
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As do I. However, there are very few that can practice it in its entirety. Most have not been prepared to have the amazing amount of emotional and psychological strength he used to overcome his torments.
 
yizuman said:
Except he got nailed from a video that JK made while killing a man.

Previously his past videos showed people "pushing the button" as it were, to kill themselves.

This time, JK did all the work himself and it was featured on 60 Minutes challenging the system to convict him and they did.

That video in of itself is what got him convicted.

(WARNING: THIS VIDEO CAN BE UNSETTLING FOR SOME VIEWERS! VIEW AT YOUR OWN RISK! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!)

Nov. 22, 1998: Kevorkian - 60 Minutes - CBS News

Yiz
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You should have as much courage to stand for your convictions in such a way.:cool2:
 
jillio said:
As do I. However, there are very few that can practice it in its entirety. Most have not been prepared to have the amazing amount of emotional and psychological strength he used to overcome his torments.
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:hmm: I'll have to check him out. For some reason, I seem to be in a mood for rereading Emily Dickenson's poetry.
 
Tousi said:
Because he went to prison for it?
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He went to prison because his last patient had not the ability to administer the medications to himself. He went to prison for administering the medications for the patient. Had he simply supplied the meds, and the patient had administered them with his own hand, he would not have even been charged.

However, he was still complying with his patient's request for assistance. And he put that request at a higher level than protecting himself from certain legal consequences. Would your doctor risk going to jail for you?
 
deafskeptic said:
:hmm: I'll have to check him out. For some reason, I seem to be in a mood for rereading Emily Dickenson's poetry.
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I am re-reading Jane Austin right now. I love to go back to the classics every so often.

The one I would rec would be "Man's Search for Meaning". It really lays his philosophies, and the way in which he reached them, in a comprehensive way. I think you would really enjoy it. He was one of the great humanists.
 
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jillio said:
As do I. However, there are very few that can practice it in its entirety. Most have not been prepared to have the amazing amount of emotional and psychological strength he used to overcome his torments.
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I do admire him and his strength very, very much.
 
Beowulf said:
I felt sad upon learning of Dr. Kevorkian's death. He was a real character and forced people to squarely face the prospect of ending one's own life. People will always seek suicide as a way out of unbearable pain, and I support the means to do it with dignity.
My parents are around 90 and not in much pain as of yet. But if either one or both of them ask for my help in ending their lives, I would humbly respect their wishes.
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I actually had a parent make that request of me. Thankfully, his doctor provided a high level of palliative care and it never became necessary. Had it, I most certainly would have complied with my father's wish. Who am I to remove his autonomy at any point in his life?
 
jillio said:
He went to prison because his last patient had not the ability to administer the medications to himself. He went to prison for administering the medications for the patient. Had he simply supplied the meds, and the patient had administered them with his own hand, he would not have even been charged.

However, he was still complying with his patient's request for assistance. And he put that request at a higher level than protecting himself from certain legal consequences. Would your doctor risk going to jail for you?
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What he did here defines courage.

Kevorkian absolutely knew the risks of his actions and chose to disregard them in favor of helping the patient. He had choices and one of the choices put him at great personal risk.

Sometimes that is what it takes to do the right thing.
 
Bottesini said:
I do admire him and his strength very, very much.
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He is right at the top of my "most admired" list. If I can ever slightly approximate the congruence he showed in word and act, as well as his unending emapthy for the human condition, I will leave this world satisfied with the effort I have made.
 
jillio said:
He believed he was assisting them in ending their suffering (and he was), and that he was acting upon their request for said assistance. His own personal spiritual belief should not have entered into his decision to comply with any individual patient's request. To allow one's spiritual beliefs to govern medical decisions for any patient is unethical.
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He was already committing acts that were medically unethical, so I don't think that would be his concern.

If, as you say, he "believed he was assisting them in ending their suffering," then he must have believed that act wouldn't cause even worse suffering in an afterlife. Otherwise, he would actually be ending a temporary suffering and exchanging it for a permanent worse suffering. If he believed that, it certainly wouldn't be ethical for him to hasten someone's journey into eternal torment. If he believed that ending their earthly suffering would usher them into an eternal peace and comfort, then at least that view could be somewhat understood.

All I'm asking is, does anyone know Kevorkian's beliefs about the afterlife? Surely those beliefs would influence his actions.

His pictures don't seem to portray a positive image of an afterlife. If he stated otherwise, I would like to know.
 
Glenn said:
What he did here defines courage.

Kevorkian absolutely knew the risks of his actions and chose to disregard them in favor of helping the patient. He had choices and one of the choices put him at great personal risk.

Sometimes that is what it takes to do the right thing.
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I assume that many have trouble understanding that, because they have not had the experience of even attempting to live the ethical existence he did.
 
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