How does Dr. Kevorkian get away with it?
The courts have not been inclined to punish doctors in these situations. But I think it is now becoming clear that it’s Kevorkian’s need to be the instrument of ending somebody’s life rather than his compassion for the person. One of the most recent cases involved a woman who wasn’t in any way terminally ill. The husband wanted to be rid of his wife, and found a way of doing it through Kevorkian, who claims not to have known it. It’s a sign of how superficial and casual putting somebody to death can be. Which is why you’re opposed to physician-assisted suicide. I’ve watched it in operation in the Netherlands, so it’s not what I think but what I’ve seen. What was intended for exceptional cases to relieve suffering has become a routine way of dealing with serious or terminal illness. People are put to death who could have months, and sometimes longer than that, of lifethey would be grateful for. And it discourages doctors from learning how to treat them better. But shouldn’t terminally i
