The man known as “Doctor Death” had died.
Dr. Jack Kevorkian, best known for his assisted suicides of those wanting to end their own lives, has succumbed. The 83-year-old Kevorkian, who died of natural causes Friday, became the face of the controversial right-to-die movement in the 1990s.
Kevorkian, a Michigan pathologist, would assist those wishing to die by hooking them up to his homemade suicide machine. Some died of lethal injection. Others died with their face strapped into a mask that was connected to a carbon-monoxide canister. The patients were all believers in being able to control when they died.
Right-to-die groups are hoping that the passing of Jack Kevorkian, who assisted in at least 130 suicides during the ’90s, will shine a spotlight on the practice called “aid in dying.” These groups are encouraging lawmakers to legalize it nationwide, so doctors in all states can pick it up.
So far, the practice of “aid in dying” is only allowed in Oregon, Washington state and Montana.
