Jack Kevorkian has certainly been a champion in the right to die debate. Much of the world has demonized him, accusing him of being a murderer and violating the sanctity of life. It's easy for us to sit on the sidelines with no emotional connection to those who have sought Dr. Kevorkian and his commitment to assist those who feel that they can no longer live with the debilitating and often painful diseases that infringe on most aspects of their daily lives.
I stand on the side of Jack Kevorkian. This is not to say that I believe his bold and often brazen manner has not been that which has turned many people against his work with the dying. As an RN for the past 35 years, I have met many individuals suffering from prolonged and/or painfully debilitating diseases and conditions. A number of them have shared their thoughts of death as the only release from the relentless agony that they experience. None of them have described seeking the assistance of someone like Dr. Kevorkian as "committing assisted suicide." They view themselves as burdens on their families, friends and society. For those unable to move their smallest muscles and who are dependent upon a host of caregivers for every aspect of their daily lives, Dr. Kevorkian becomes the hope for ending that which has been interminable to them. They view their deaths as relief from their suffering and freeing for their family members who have given up much of their own lives to care for their family member.
As I reflect on various changes in religious traditions, laws, education and the like, I find a common thread which is one or two people beginning to "break" a law or custom. I clearly remember attending Mass at St. Rose Priory in Dubuque, IA when several of the Dominicans came into chapel without habits. This had not been permitted by the order, but these men felt that the time had come for them to look like those with whom they ministered. Of course, their actions did not have the end result of death as do Dr. Kevorkians, yet, this is often the manner in which change begins. It has taken one state to legalize gay marriage and several others have followed.
We have a right to die in peace and without great pain and suffering. Hospice has been instrumental in providing care that makes this possible for many. Hospice demands one of two scenarios: returning home with strangers providing care along with family members or hospice care in either a designated area of a hospital or a stand alone hospice home. In these cases, family members may not feel as involved as they would have liked to be and/or do not feel comfortable in sites outside of the familiarity of their homes.
My understanding of the deaths in which Dr. Kevorkian has been involved, is that there has been time for family members to say their good byes, to have prayers and meaningful ceremonies, to express their love and other feelings for one another, and so on. Suicide as many of us are aware, has been sudden, often not expected, a lone event by the deceased, and a family that has not had an opportunity to share with the deceased. I was recently called to a home of an adult whose fiance could not find him that morning. She believed he might have gone to buy cigarettes. When she arrived at the garage, she found his body hanging from a rafter. I cannot adequately describe the shock I felt as I sat with this grieving woman whose only words were, "but why?"
Lou Gering's disease (ALS) generally begins with muscle weakness. As it progresses, the individual becomes dependent upon a caregiver for all aspects of daily living. The voice becomes nothing more than a whisper, and eventually, most of those with ALS become ventilator dependent because the muscles of their chest cannot assist with breathing. Cystic fibrosis presents in a similar manner with the addition of increasing secretions from the lungs. These do not pass easily and a caregiver must be always alert to the need to pummel the back, causing the body to loosen these secretions. These are only two of many, many conditions that might cause one to consider Dr. Jack Kevorkian and assisted death.
We as a society, seem anxious to function as judge and jury to Dr. Kevorkian. He has been imprisoned for a verdict of second degree homicide for his assistance freely given for someone who contacted him and asked for the help she could find no where else. Is there more that we must know about assisting the extremely ill in their deaths and release from their suffering? Of course. Rather than continue to demonize Dr. Kevorkian, I asked that we attempt to hear the requests as he hears them, to place ourselves in the situations of those who are suffering, to ask how our family members would cope if we had a progressive and always fatal disease and then ask if we too might call upon Dr. Kevorkian.