Guide Note: Pathologist Dr. Jack Kevorkian claims to have assisted in the suicides of at least 130 patients. Kevorkian was the center of the Right-to-Die Controversy that was brought to the forefront in the 1990s. He served eight years in prison for second degree murder, and was released in 2007. In 2008 he announced his intention to run for U.S. Congress.

Assisted Suicide

Kevorkian ran advertisements in Detroit newspapers offering "death counseling" in the late 1980s. Just a few years prior, he wrote a number of articles for a German medical journal outlining his ethical stance on euthanasia. By 1991, the State of Michigan revoked his medical license. He was no longer authorized to work with patients, or practice medicine. However, he went on to assist terminally ill people end their lives.

Methods of Euthanasia

Kevorkian assisted patients by hooking them up to a machine that he made. He called it the "Thanatron". The device allowed the person to push a button that would release chemicals that would end their life. Once his license was revoked, he no longer had access to the chemicals. He then used another device that he called the "Mercitron", this would deliver carbon monoxide through a gas mask.

Trial and Imprisonment

After three acquittals, and a mistrial, Kevorkian was sentenced to 10-25 years in prison in 1997. He was released from prison on June 1, 2007.

Congress for Kevorkian?

In March of 2008 Kevorkian announced he was planning on running for Congress in Michigan.

Fast Facts:

1. Born May 20, 1928
2. Suffers from Hepatitis C
3. Attended University of Michigan medical school
4. November 23, 1998: 60 Minutes airs tape of Kevorkian administering lethal injection
5. Vietnam veteran

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