Jack Kevorkian

I think that one of the biggest miscarriages of justice that I witnessed in my lifetime was that of Dr. Jack Kevorkian receiving a 10 to 25 year sentence for wanting to help end the suffering of a helpless human-being. Dubbed "Dr. Death" by the media frenzy that followed the actions of the controversial physician, he received this sentence for helping to end the life of 52 year old Thomas Youk, who was fighting a hopeless battle with Lou Gehrig's disease. Dr. Kevorkian set up his "suicide machine" in order for the person to knowlingly and voluntarily disperse the chemical concoction that would end the suffering of the victim his family. Although Dr. Kevorkian assisted in the death of 35 people, it was the Thomas Youk case that brought national attention and thus the wrath of the criminal justice system of the state of Michigan. Similar to phsycian-suicide is the issue of both voluntary and involuntary active euthanasia. Both of these involve carrying out the death of another human being, who either knowingly or unknowlingly makes that decision. What makes the case of Dr. Kevorkian different is that he met with all of his patients and recorded the fact that they were coherent and able to make their own decision about the ending their life. I am guessing that when the Thomas Youk story aired on 60 Minutes in 1998, it brought national scutiny and a mockery of the laws in the eyes of the Michigan criminal justice system. I wanted to better understand this concept the particulars about this case and what the overwhelming public opinion on the topic was nationally and within the state of Michigan. Thomas Young had been suffering for years with Lou Gehrig's diesease, a slow killing disease that eventually takes al dignity away from the individual. In recent months he had been losing major parts of his lung functions and been choking on his own salive. This man, together with his family, made a conscious decision to end the suffering that came with this terrible