Kevorkian launches drive to legalise assisted suicide

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This is a digitised version of an article from The Cayman Compass's print archive. Occasionally, the digitisation process introduces transcription errors, or other problems.

See the article in its original context from February 1994.

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Livonia, Mich, (Reuter) - In his first public address in more than three years, Dr. Jack Kevorkian on Sunday urged his supporters to sign a petition to make assisted suicide legal in Michigan. Speaking to a congregation of more than 700 people at St. Paul's Presbyterian Church here, Kevorkian criticised lawmakers for trying to outlaw doctor-assisted suicide, charging their actions have given animals more rights than people.

Kevorkian, 65, has helped 20 people commit suicide since 1990. After the courts threw out murder charges in three of the cases, the Michigan legislature passed a law last February making assisted suicide a felony punishable by up to four years in jail.

Since then, Kevorkian has been charged four times under the new law. Three cases have been thrown out on constitutional grounds and prosecutors have suspended the fourth case until the state Court of Appeals decides if the law is valid. "To me it's a right not to suffer," Kevorkian said. "A child growing up is much like a pet, much like your cat and dog. It needs care. Your cat and dog have rights ... You impart those rights lovingly to your pet and among those rights is the right not to suffer. Yet, you don't impart those same rights to human beings."