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Home » Consumer Information » Life Support » Physician-assisted Suicide

Jack Kevorkian

Dr. Jack Kevorkian, a pathologist who received his degree from the University of Michigan Medical School in 1952, became known as "Dr. Death" shortly after receiving his medical license. His fascination with dying was publicized in 1956 when he took photos of patients during their last waking moments. He noted how the blood vessels in their corneas contracted and became invisible when the heart stopped. Two years later, Kevorkian wrote a thesis suggesting that death row inmates be put to sleep in order to preserve their internal organs for medical use. Then in 1960, he mentioned the possibility of experimenting on condemned prisoners for the purpose of medical research. By 1987, Kevorkian was advertising his "death counseling" services in local Detroit papers.

In 1989, a quadriplegic who could no longer tolerate his disability decided he no longer wanted to live, so Dr. Kevorkian invented a couple different "suicide machines." He named one device the "Thanatron," while the other was dubbed the "Mercitron." The Thanatron was a homemade contraption which allowed the patient to push a button releasing a couple different solutions, including the euthanizing drugs, through an IV. The first solution paralyzed the person, while the second stopped their heart until they were dead. The Mercitron consisted of a gas mask connected to a canister of carbon monoxide that gradually poisoned the person as it was inhaled.

When word got out about his practices in 1991, the State of Michigan revoked Kevorkian's medical license and mandated that he no longer see patients. However, Kevorkian continued his work with euthanasia for the next seven years, assisting in almost 100 suicides along the way. Following numerous trials, Kevorkian was finally convicted of first degree homicide stemming from the case of the quadriplegic in 1989. He was sentenced to 10-25 years in prison, but was released in 2007 for being a model inmate. Kevorkian's probation involved a couple stipulations:

  1. He can no longer assist anyone with suicide.
  2. He is not allowed to treat anyone who is above the age of 62 or handicapped.

While on parole, Kevorkian has dedicated his life to urging lawmakers to change their views on physician-assisted suicide and stop viewing it as such a crime.