"You know, she had that same look of agony on her face, just like mother." "The same one mother had, you know?" " Yeah." " You bore witness to it." "Excruciating." "Awful, waiting." " She was struggling to die." " Yeah." " Well, it's not living, you know?" " No." "It's not being alive." "You know, they started doing this in Europe already." "But not here." " Really?" " Yeah." "Holland." "Holland." "Never here." "Way too puritanical here." "I don't know why I didn't think of this sooner." "I was limiting myself." "It'll be your own field of specialty, Jack." "You're gonna need some business cards, you know?" "We'll be swinging singles again just like when we were in our prime." "Remember those two nurses we were dating?" "Two nurses?" "Oh, that was me, not you." "Scratch that." "You could grab a box, Jack, it wouldn't hurt you." "Well, I'll get the door and then I'll come back out." "The best thing about living in my storage room..." "Keep that." "It's a short commute." "Ain't bad." "You left your varsity jacket... your grandmother's Afghan and your nose-hair clippers." "That's the last time I'm cleaning up after you, Neal Nicol." "Hi, Jack." "I remember her being much happier at your wedding." "Cut." " Ante up." " Yes, dear." "I'm in." "Oh, by the way, Neal, mazeltov." "You're gonna be an ex here soon." "How's it feel?" "Like losing 138 pounds without having to diet." "Obituary, Stan." "The doctoring of death." "In suicide clinics?" "Really?" "I'm a doctor, you want me exiled to Boca Raton?" "Here." "Come on." "Come on." "Planned death is gaining acceptance all over the world." " Why not here?" " Can we just play cards, please?" "You can't put those decisions in the hand of patients." " Whose hands you gonna put them in?" " Doctoring's a healing profession, I can't..." "Doctoring's a death profession too." "Medicine, medicide." " Cards stay." " Three." "That's 10 in a row." "That's 10 in a row he folds." " You're allowed to bluff once in a while." " I don't bluff." "The guy's a study in pure non-fiction." "Let him alone." "Yeah." "I love you, but most of your colleagues think you're a nut." "Remember they used to call you the screwball pathologist?" "Would you save me the shpilkes and stay retired?" "I'm not retired." "Retired means one is no longer occupied with one's profession." "I may be unemployed, but I am occupied." " Eight." " King high." "It's yours." " It's your deal." " I know it." " What?" " My hands are greasy." "With what?" "I have pizza fingers." " Pizza fingers?" " Yeah, you ever hear of them?" "At the Oak Hill Care Center in Farmington Hills... where David Rivlin, a 38-year-old quadriplegic... who's been confined here for three years, has asked to be taken off of life support." "The Michigan courts have yet to make a decision." "Mr. Rivlin, who sustained a spinal-cord injury... during a bodysurfing accident almost 20 years ago... tried desperately to live on his own... until the cost of live-in aides became too much for him." "The state would only offer Rivlin..." " Yeah?" " Turn on Channel 7." " No, I'm watching Sylvester." " Hurry up." "It's the one where he chases the frog..." " Do it now." " Why?" "You see this man?" "He's being kept alive against his wishes." "Oh, yeah." "Oh, Margo." "Margo." "Yeah." "Look what we got here." "A veritable gold mine." "Here, look." "Oh, excuse me, I'm sorry." " It's all right." " It's a veritable plethora." " Look at all this stuff." " Yeah, it's real metal." "These things too?" "What does this have to do with Mr. Rivlin?" "What is that?" " All right, well, whatever." " It's a motor." " What else?" " I think..." " You want those bolts?" " Let's take all these." " Let's take the whole shebang." "These too." " Okay." " Is this it?" " I'll give you the whole thing for 15 bucks." "How's about 10?" "You know, this is what you do it for." "To be able to put your stamp on medical history." "Well, word to the wise, be careful where you're stamping." "That shit'll kill you." "Thanks, Neal." "Groundbreaking." "Today we have some..." "We..." "What we're doing here today is groundbreaking." "It will..." "It's gr..." "You know a better word for "groundbreaking"?" "Why don't you try to relax, Jack?" "I mean, he asked to see you so you could make him understand..." "Oh, for God sakes." " It's just a demonstration." " I should go in there and not say anything?" " Is that better?" " I didn't say that." "We'll just stand there and look at him and do a mime show?" "He wants to understand how you're going to help him end his life with humanity." "No, I know why we're going to see him." "I'm asking if you know another word for "groundbreaking."" "I'm hearing different things." "A source says the Oakland County prosecutor's gonna intervene." "Mr. Lessenberry, they do not pay me nearly enough money to comment on local politics." "I understand that." "I'm not asking you to comment on politics." "I'm asking you if you've had any communication with the prosecutor's office." "We are a hospital." "We provide medical care." "My Mercitron machine, David, I built it just for you." "You see... we have a monumental opportunity here, David, to not only... end your own suffering, but to give your death a meaning." "By providing your organs to more useful citizens... you will be benefiting society immeasurably." "Just so you know... we're gonna offer them up on a first-come, first-served basis." "Now..." "I don't know if you know this, but I cannot give you the injection myself." "It's illegal." "But you can release these solutions... on your own." "A saline drip is gonna activate the thiopental... which is gonna put you to sleep, set off this timer." "You'll fall into a deep coma... as the lethal dose of potassium chloride stops your heart." "I know you have no motor skills, so I added this." "You can move your head slightly side to side." "Don't do it now." "But I'm gonna place this between your teeth." "Put it in and move your head." "Very simple." "Move your head side to side just a little bit... and it goes." "Time comes, you just let your teeth do all the work." "Oh, my God." " This is outrageous." " No, it's not." " Get that thing out of here now." " He's just receiving new information... so he's bound to react." "Just give him a chance to calm himself." "Could you give him a chance to calm himself?" "Please leave immediately or I'll call security and have you thrown out." "Please leave." " I'll call them." " I'm sorry, David." "I don't need your security." "Certainly don't need that." " Get it out of here." " I'm sorry, David." "I'm sorry for this upset." "Doctor, please." " I'm sorry." " And take that thing with you." "It took a couple months, but the doctors finally did allow him..." " ...to be taken off life support." " And what a brutal way he went." " Brutal?" " Brutal." "Think about it." "Is it really any different than what the Germans did in Nazi Germany?" " You want me to print that?" " Print what you want." "We're talking about hospitals, not Nazis." "You're a doc..." "They do the same thing, starving people to death." "They cut off their feeding and their water and they let them die." "And it's all legal." "The United States Supreme Court has validated the Nazi method of execution." "Excuse me." "You obviously don't approve of the current method." "No, I don't." "Do you?" "Starving people to death?" "No, I don't think so." "It's inhumane." "If a person's allowed to die, then you inject them, painlessly and quickly." "You don't let them wither away." "It's inconceivable." "It's unspeakable." "What would you charge for this procedure?" "You don't charge people for something like this, Mr. Lessenberry." "What's wrong with you?" "You really got some story here, doc." "Don't be surprised if this gets picked up nationally." "Is your turkey okay?" "I don't like fat." "Selfish bastard." "You hog all the ink in the Detroit papers... now you're in Newsweek and there's nothing about me." " What about me?" " Look at this, man." ""Blunt and feisty, he's the first American doctor... to advocate physician-assisted suicide."" "They're gonna have to take me seriously now." " You're not a local quack anymore." " No, no." " You're America's quack." " America's quack." " Look at this." " You earned it." "Congratulations." " Neal." "Congratulations." " Newsweek magazine." "So how we gonna celebrate?" " You want a glass of water?" " Yeah, that'd be great." " Great." " Thanks, Jack." "So when were you first diagnosed with Alzheimer's, Mrs. Adkins?" "About a year ago, I think." "It was three years ago now." "And what did your doctor say?" "I mean, when he told you, what...?" "Well, it was like a bomb." "I mean, he said she had Alzheimer's... and there'd come to a point where she wouldn't be able to..." " There is..." " Dress herself." "She wouldn't be able to take a bath." "What are some of the other fears you have?" "That I wouldn't know that this is my husband." "And my children." "Or who am I?" "You're sensing the loss of things." "Loss, loss, loss." "So let's talk about that, if you could." " What happened today, for instance?" " What happened today?" " You flew in here." " I don't even know what happened." "Well, she went out into the yard... and then... what I could see was she stood there in the yard... and I could see from behind her that she didn't know where she was." "She didn't know to turn around and that was the back door of the house... and she didn't know that was the gate to go out to the street." "She just..." "She didn't know what to do." "I don't remember." "When I talked to your doctor..." "First of all, he would hardly speak with me... but when he did, what your doctor was trying to communicate to me... is that you're not imminently terminal." "You understand?" "Yes, I understand, and I understand..." " Should I make some tea for us?" "Jack?" " ..." "I'm losing control over my brain... and that is frightening." " Jack, do you want some tea?" " If I don't make this decision right now.." " ..." "I'll never be able to." " Margo, I don't know what we're doing." "Look at her." "Look at her." "She looks well to me." " I will not put my family through that agony." " She looks quite capable." "No?" " How many days do I have?" " She's not the right one." " But she has the right." " It's my choice." " As a patient, it's her choice." " And I refuse to die a slow death..." "Come on, you know how things are gonna be perceived." " I don't care." " The media's gonna be all over it." " I know." " You're gonna have to tell her yes." "You have to be strategic, you're gonna ruin..." "But what do we care about the media?" "Who cares?" "Look, sometimes in life there are strategies that you have to take... because we have to be very careful about our purpose." " Our purpose is important." " But what about her?" "Who cares what people think?" "It's what my patient feels." "She doesn't know each day what she's gonna find when she looks in the mirror." "She doesn't know if she's gonna see herself there anymore." "This is her terror." "This is what she goes through day in and day out... the terror of being... lost." " Jack." " She's running out of time." "I understand that." "Look at me." "If it was me, if I was her, if I was in the same situation..." " ...would you do it?" " You?" " Yes, me." "Would you do it for me?" " Of course, I'd do it." "Yes." " You would do it?" "You know that?" " Sure." "If I saw the same look of determination in your eyes as I saw in her's... of course, I'd do it." "No question about it." "My own sister." " In truth, I'd do it." " You'd do it?" " That's your answer." " Yeah, I know." "I just wanted to work this through, you know, just go to the variables." " And you're aware of your decision?" " Yes." "Let them come after me." "Let them come after a real physician." "The end of my life." "I think I'm gonna make us some tea right now." " Make it strong, will you?" " Yeah." " Your word for the end of life?" " Death." "By the way"" " This is what you wish?" " Yes." " ...where we gonna do this?" " Yes, I do." "Some people think we brew up poisonous potions... like witches from Gallows Hill." "Others think it's "take two hemlock pills, meet your maker in the morning."" "Surprise, surprise, there's no such thing as a hemlock pill." "We offer assistance and advanced directives..." "DNRs "Do Not Resuscitate," wills, hospice care... but we do not dispense drugs, we do not pull plugs." "We started this chapter because we believe... that to each person, their own way of death... with dignity." "Oh, Miss Good, I can carry that for you." "That would've been nice, Dr. Kevorkian, but it's a little late now, don't you think?" "And it's "Mrs."" " Mrs.?" " Yep." "Oh, good." "So you know who I am?" "What do I look like, June Cleaver?" "What can I do for you?" "Well..." "I have my first patient." "But what I don't have..." " ls a place." " Yes." "And you'd like to use my home." "Well, no, I thought you would know a place... but I could use your home, that would be just fine." "Sure." "Well, if you're gonna come to my home, you're gonna have to dress more cheerfully." "If you've never actually tested that before, how do you know it's gonna work?" "Because I made it." "I wish you had a stronger argument than that." "Hey, whatever I can do to lend a hand tomorrow, let me know." "Oh, on this one, Neal, this first one..." "I want it to be me and Margo." "Just us." "Am I hearing a phone or is it my...?" "I gotta remember to install one by the couch." "Your house." "Dr. Kevorkian's, this is Debbie." "Oh, hang on, Miss Good." "Janet Good." " There we go." " Hey, Janet." "I don't know now to say this so I'm just gonna say it." "I'm sorry, I know it's the last minute... but my husband, Ray, he's a retired police captain... and he feels very strongly that we can't use our house." " He feels it would put us at risk..." " Are you kidding me?" "Are you kidding me?" "I got Margo at the airport picking these people up as we speak." "You can't do this to me." "Oh, yeah, well, I could make some other suggestions..." "There's nothing further to be gained by talking to you." "What now?" "Call the whole thing off?" "Although..." "Okay." "I hope she likes parks and Volkswagens." "Jack's made all the arrangements." "Good." "Margo's going to take me to the airport shortly." "It's best for me to go home... should anything happen with the police later on." "Yes." "Okay." "Our gardener comes on Thursday." "He's going to plant marigolds." "Marigolds protect the garden." "It's not too late, my dear, you know?" "We could stop right now." "You wouldn't offend me." "You understand?" "You wouldn't offend me." "Tell me when to flip the switch." "Whenever you're..." "Thank you." "When a patient in agony dies Then a doctor's true calling implies" "One should do what is best At the patient's request" "For a humane, quick and painless demise" "I told you they couldn't keep me." "Come in, come in." " They got nothing to charge me on." " All right, all right." "Has he no regard for the sanctity of life?" "How dare he call himself a doctor." "What can we charge him with?" "The medical examiner said he had no choice but to rule it a suicide." "I just can't stop thinking about yesterday." "How it all went." "I guess, somehow, I just thought the whole thing would be nicer." " Could be nicer?" " Yeah." "How nicer?" "Does this look like compassion to you, David?" "Compassion?" "He kills a woman and he calls it compassion?" "If this guy Thompson wants to arrest me, let him arrest me." "I don't care." "I'm not a busy man, you know." " We have to get you a lawyer." " I don't want a lawyer." "Jack, they're threatening to bring you up on murder charges." " You need a lawyer." " I don't know any lawyers." "There's this one guy I see on TV all the time." "We're gonna get him." "He does these medical-malpractice commercials." " It's just..." " That a new wig?" "Yes." " Why?" "It's Rum Raisin." " Yeah." "I think it makes me look a little more fetching." "What do you think?" " Is that silly?" " I don't know." "I don't know, I don't understand wigs but, you know, that's just me." "One day, you know, I'm gonna turn around..." "Girls, I don't think the good doctor sways to fancy." "Hide the Perrier." "This way." "How good can this guy be if there's no elevators?" "Let me tell you something about Dick Thompson." "He may be a card-carrying member of the religious right... but he doesn't have a pot to piss in charging Jack with murder." "He didn't kill anyone." " No crime..." " No punishment without law." " Yeah." " Man knows his Latin." "I also know McNally, the district judge... and no way in hell is he gonna let this move forward." "But these extremists will do everything under the sun..." " ...to stop you from doing this again." " They have no recourse to stop me." "Did you videotape your conversations with Janet Adkins?" " Yeah." " Yes, I did." " Why?" " Good, good." "Well, you see, courtrooms are theaters of conscience." "If we show your patients pleading for your help... if we lay out the gut-wrenching emotions of it all... that's your golden ticket." "No jury will convict you with me at your side." "I simply do not lose." "He's a wolverine." " Wolverine." " Yeah." "I was a theater major." "I did an unforgettable Giles Corey in The Crucible senior year." "My mother still has the reviews in her pocket." " Really?" " Yeah." "I can't afford to pay you." "Oh, you don't have to pay me." "I'll do it for free." "Let them keep trying to prove this is a crime... and we'll keep proving it's a civil rights issue." "So what do you think?" "She's a good judge of character." "That's a wig she's wearing." " Rum Raisin." " Jack." " I like it." " Thank you." "You're welcome." "The Morning Drive Show?" "He wanted me to ask you if you'd come on as a guest." "It's on 6 to 10 in the morning and it's got a big audience." "You know, people driving to work listen to it." "And he keeps it pretty light." "Might let you pick a record." "Well, I never heard of it, but I'll do it, sure." "Good morning, everybody." "This is The Bob Bender Show, The Morning Drive Show." "Today it's a special edition, it's The Morning Die Show... because of my special guest Dr. Jack Kevorkian." "He's a local boy from here in Detroit." "You might know him better as "Dr. Death."" "I like to say he is the last doctor you will ever need." "I actually heard somebody refer to you as Dr. Frankenstein the other day... because of your rather active organ-procurement program." "Well, I'm gonna take that as a compliment... because anyone whose read the story of Frankenstein... knows that he was a benevolent man." "And it was society who made the monster bad." "Well, I find it impossible to believe, but our lines are lighting up... and my producer tells me 40 to 50 percent cf cur callers say, "Hey, you're right."" "So maybe I shouldn't go on." "Let's quit while I'm ahead, huh?" " Well, don't die on me now, doc." " No, no, no..." "Oh, I'm sorry, had to say that." "Tell me a little bit about your Mercitron." "Something I hope the..." " See, he's doing good." " Yeah." " But what you said before is..." " Sharp as a tack." "It's good that people realize what's at stake here." "I mean self-determination is a basic human right... and everyone should have it." "By flipping the switch on your suicide machine?" " Kind of like hitting this button here, huh?" " Well, sure." "Or carbon monoxide." "Which actually is a quicker procedure." "And I can assure you as a pathologist... gas inhalation always leaves the deceased with a rosy, colorful afterglow." "Well, hopefully our listeners aren't listening in their garages this morning." " If they are, open the door." " No, no..." "We're getting rather ghoulish here at 7:55 in the morning." " Well, but..." " You are live with Bob Bender." "And I hesitate to say "live," doctor, because we're talking death with Dr. Death." "And if you wanna end it, call Dr. Kevorkian." "That's KEVORKIAN." "This is not an ad." "I just don't wanna give the wrong impression." "I am not here advertising." "I'm..." "I'm..." "I'm..." "Hi, there." " Oh, no, not you, lady." " Stop it." " Stay away from me." " Stop it, I don't bite." "I'm sorry I backed out on you that way, but that's water under the bridge." " I think we need to have a conversation." " Water under the bridge?" "I ended up using my VW van in the park." "Water under the bridge?" " That was very resourceful of you." " Oh, thank you." "I know that you're upset, but you have to let it go." "We need to have a bigger conversation." "And that's a much better sweater." "It's more cheerful." "You know, I don't get many visitors up here." "Women, especially." "With your charms, I'm shocked." "Hope you like it." " Made it just for you." " Thank you." "You know, doc, you have to stop pushing for organ donations." "It'd be better if you just focused on one thing at a time." "Yeah, sounds like it comes straight out of the old Hemlock Society playbook." "I'm the first to admit Hemlock has its faults." "That's why I'm here." "I agree that it should be self-determination without compromise." "And for the record, I also agree that "terminally ill" is an undefinable term." "So I say establish your criteria." "You know, multiple doctor examinations, psych assessments... make sure that all physical treatments have been exhausted." "And maybe the blessing of a priest or a rabbi would be good." "It's funny, my mom used to make these for us, only with a pickle." "And no crusts." "Sorry about the crust." "I usually cut them off... but somehow I thought you'd like crust." "She was tortured in a nursing home till the day she died." "Mind gone, bedsores the size of dinner plates." "If you looked in them, you could see her spine." "Who was it for you?" "Your mother?" "Your father?" "I don't see any pictures anywhere of anybody." "You know, maybe you're right, what you said before." "One thing at a time." "Fair enough." " So I was snooping around a little bit." " Oh, yeah." "Can you tell me about Marjorie Wantz and Sherry Miller?" "Sure." "Ms. Miller has MS and has had it for a decade." "She has hardly a motor skill left." "Her husband took off a month after the diagnosis." "And we got Mrs. Wantz who has severe pelvic pain." "She's had 10 operations all for naught." "Pain's completely debilitating." "I've thought about it a long time." "A long time." "Yeah, I have." "And I have no qualms about my decision." "Could do it tonight." "What is it you want?" "Put it in plain English." "Yeah, I want to die." " That's plain enough" " Yep, Yep..." "You don't wanna have one more Thanksgiving with your kids?" "No, no, none." "I just want it over quick." "I have no fear." "I have tried myself, three different times." "I have not succeeded." "I tried it, as you know, with the car." "I put the hose on the exhaust and into the window." "I stayed in the car over three hours, and I tried it three times, nothing happened" "I get a half hour, an hour of sleep at night with all the pills and sleeping pills I take." "And it's when you've got no quality of life left, it's..." "No, no more." "If I do one of you... there's a chance they'll send me to jail." "I won't be able to do the other." "It's right there." " What's going on here, huh?" " They're dead." "Wait till you see this." "Excuse me." "Two at a time now?" "What's next, a baker's dozen?" " Right this way." " Don't touch that." "I'm gonna say all you did was drive me up here." "Stand back." "As long as they don't put us in the same cell I'm fine." "Well, you should be so lucky." "No, no, no." "Sir, it's just him we want." "Dr. Jack Kevorkian has been involved in a double suicide... at the Bald Mountain Recreation Area up near Lake Orion." "We're trying to get in touch with our correspondent up at the scene there... about 40 miles north of Detroit." "Details are sketchy, but again... it appears that Dr. Jack Kevorkian has indeed assisted... a double suicide this evening." "We're going to go live to the scene now and stay on the story." " Can we get your...?" " Bobby?" " Where's Jack?" " Will you comment on the legality...?" "This is ridiculous." "This is absurd." "No crime has been committed." "Release him." "Release him now." "Everybody settle down." " Is this live?" "This better be live." " Can we get your statement, sir?" "Two very sick but wonderful women died here tonight by their own choosing." "Back up." "Stay back." "Dr. Kevorkian was only acting out as their physician." "He did not force anyone to come up here." "Mr. Thompson, if you're watching... have the gall to charge Dr. Kevorkian tonight." "Bring it on." "Do it tonight." " Mr. Fieger." " Dr. Kevorkian." " Don't let them do this to me." " This is how you play the media, Jack." "Get ready to become the most famous doctor in the country." "Can you comment on the religious aspects of this?" "I need you to do your job, Dr. Dragovic, so I can do mine." "Science itself gives us no arguments, Mr. Thompson." "I told you I'm not gonna touch your food." "It would be an admission of guilt, you know?" "I can go for weeks without food." "Like Gandhi." " Looking worse than Gandhi, Jack." " Yeah." "You're looking like one of your patients." "It's been three days." " Come on." " I'm not moving." " I'm not paying that bond." " You don't have to." "I did." " Come on, let's go." " You didn't." " You paid my bail?" " Yeah, I bailed you out." "Let's go." "What kind of lawyer does that?" "What's the matter with you, Geoff?" "Don't you see I'm denying myself nourishment?" "I'm starving to death for three days to make a point." " I get it, I get" " This is a protest." "They violated my rights." "You're not supposed to bail me out." "It defeats the purpose." "Oh, I should fire you, you know?" "We're facing an indictment on Wantz and Miller." "Here." "What's this?" " Pie." " This is full of fat and sugar." " You trying to kill me?" " Just eat the fucking pie, Jack." "Oh, and another thing, the State revoked your medical license." "Good." "They took away my career years ago, didn't stop me, did it?" "Yeah, well, it stops suppliers from providing you with your poisons." "That's what I got Neal for." " Where the hell you going?" " Home." "Come on, I'll give you a ride." "My car's up here." "No, I need the exercise." "I need to get the blood flowing." "We've got an offer to fly to New York to do The Barbara Walters Show." "Well, this Barbara Walters wants me badly enough, she knows where to find me." " Don't make this complicated, Jack." " Can't do it." "This is important." "One too many passenger rides in an F-86 Sabre... when I was stationed in Seoul." "Flying scares the daylights out of me, Geoff." "Nighty night." "Doctor, let me be frank." "Are you aware that people think you are a ghoul?" "It's emotionalism." "You know, when heart transplants first started... there was the same prevalent feeling, I mean, even among doctors... that it was wrong, it was contrary to God's will, contrary to nature." "Isn't it ghoulish to rip a person's chest open and take out a heart?" "Or a bypass operation?" "Ether is the same thing." "You have ether, been around for centuries, it wasn't used." "Not till 1846." "It was discovered in 1543... and before that, everybody was being operated on while they were awake." "Surgeons were cutting them open while they were awake." " Did you know that, Geoff?" " No." "On, yes." "And you know why it was banned?" "Because of religious dogma." "Because of the foolish notion... that there's a God Almighty who wills us to suffer." "Do you turn patients down?" "I turn 97 or 98 percent of the patients who contact me..." "I turned them down." "Should there be second opinions?" "Always a second opinion." "Third opinion." "But there wasn't in your case." "Well, no, there wasn't because no one cooperates with me." "What do you say to people who say, "Dr. Kevorkian, you are playing God"?" "I say to them" ""SO what?"" "When a doctor gives you a pill, he's playing God... because he's interfering with your natural process." "All doctors believe they're God." "They shouldn't, but they do." "But I prefer that than the doctors who are more interested... in their stock portfolios than they are in their patients." "Did you see the way she looked at you?" "She probably thought I was unattainable." "She was very smitten." "I knew I should've called her Barbara." " Coffee?" " Yeah." " Decaf?" " No, no, decaf's for cowards." "The autopsy proved that Mrs. Wantz... had no anatomical evidence of disease in her entire body." "It was all in her head and he knows it." "Mrs. Miller, although she had a disease, could have lived for many years... if she had been willing to participate in her own care." "So you're a doctor too now, Dick, huh?" "Your Honor, there isn't one iota, one scintilla... one speck of evidence that he murdered Marjorie Wantz or Sherry Miller." "This is all part of your puritanical persecution..." "Enough." "I've reviewed the indictment, I'm dismissing the charges." "The act cf assisting a suicide is not a criminal act... according to our current laws." "But without a medical license, he cannot dispense medication." " So don't do anything stupid." " He won't, Your Honor." "I'm gonna kick your ass till my legs fall off." "It was a clear victory for the most important civil rights issue of our time." "You're obviously not happy with the judge's decision." "Where do you go from here?" "Governor Engler needs to push a ban through the state legislature." "Something." "Anything." "Unless you want Michigan to become the suicide capital of the world." "Michigan residents, by a 5-to-1 margin... say that they'd acquit him of murder if they were on a jury." "And over 10 percent believe that doctors should be allowed... to help a terminally-ill patient commit suicide." "I'm a deeply religious man, Mr. Lessenberry... and what Kevorkian proposes goes against every fiber of my being." "If this were accepted..." "Room service." "How on God's green earth would we prevent abuse?" " Nobody ordered any room service." " What is this?" " Open the door." " Who is this?" "It's the police, Jack." "We know you're in there." "You know it's us." " Get out of the way." " Don't you push me, sir." " Where is it?" " Nothing is going on." "We're just talking." " Where are you folks from?" " California." " Nothing illegal is going on." " We're not criminals." "You don't have to say a word." "I know that many sick people lack access to care and support." "Too many families are saddled with medical expenses." "But if this were legalized, it could lead to cost-containment strategies." " We're here to prevent a suicide." " We came to save your life." "Who the hell asking you to?" "Who the hell ask you?" "I'm sorry." "Isabel, I'm so sorry." "Where is the suicide poisons?" "Where do you keep them?" "Don't they have to have a search warrant?" "That is not the world I raised my three boys in." "It's not a world I'd recognize." ""Not a world I would recognize"?" "What is this Dick Thompson bullshit?" "I believe it's called "journalism." Both sides deserve a voice, Geoff." "Well, fuck that, and fuck you." "You think you're hot shit because The New York Times is printing you?" "Look, there's only one side to this story: ours." "Don't let me cut off your access to Jack." "I feel for our patients." " They deserve better." " Yeah." "Someone like Isabel, she deserves respect." "What are we doing sneaking around like we're thieves?" " What is that?" " We're the good guys." "Yeah." "They bust down the motel door... with crowbars and guns, like we're some Chicago bootleggers." "And we have to hide in places like this." "We have to handle these things in the backs of vans... in the middle of the night." "Drop bodies off... in emergency room parking lots." "We're not criminals." "We're not criminals." "The criminals are those who are trying to stop us." "Those are the ones that should be ashamed." "01506 Saginaw Motel." "01506 Saginaw Motel." "Report of assisted suicide." "Dr. Jack Kevorkian." "This may count as loitering." "We shouldn't be out here too long without an attorney." " Let's go." " Yep." "06119, 06119." "Suspect not on premises." "Subject deceased." "Female, late 50s." "Please tell me what it is your daughter has in her brain... that won't let her accept the fact that you can pay a bill with cash." " Please." "I did." " With cash." "What you don't do..." " Calm down." " What you don't do is pay with a check." "You don't pay bills with a check." " We understand." " Why, my dear girl?" "Because bills paid by check leave a paper trail." "A paper trail is something someone can follow." "And just so you know..." "Just so you know, what I predicted has come true." " The cops traced..." " The cops?" "They traced it to my storage file." " No." " They broke in and they took whatever... who knows, all my personal files, to do God knows what with..." " ...and they padlocked it so I can't get in." " All right." "I'm sorry about it, Jack, I'm sorry." " You're sorry?" " I'm sorry." "No one would expect this to happen." "And Mr. Fieger can get everything back for you again." " Oh, Mr. Fieger's gonna do it." " Just calm down." "I have explained to you..." "Nobody's gonna put Humpty Dumpty together again, do you understand?" "He is gone." "He is finished." "They have my files." "I'm sorry about that." " There was an overdue bill..." " That's right." "And Ava sent the check in." "She just wasn't thinking." " She wasn't thinking?" " She wasn't thinking." " That's right." " You're being so generous." "It was stupid." "It was blatant stupidity on her part and your part." " Keep your voice down." " Stupid, stupid!" " Hold on." "I want you to shut up." " She was being stupid." "Stupid!" "Don't you talk about my daughter that way, do you hear me?" " And you calm down now." "Stop it." " I am calm." "Calm down." "You're not calm, Jack!" " I can't trust you and I can't trust her." " You can't trust me?" "Either one of you." "Together." "You don't make it easy for me." "You're supposed to, but you don't." " How dare you, Jack?" "How dare you?" " You did this for the last time." "All my life I've been making it easier for you." " Yeah, you make it easy." " All my life." "Do you hear me?" "And it's been no walk in the park." "That's right it's been no walk in the park." "And I'm gonna tell you something else, nobody takes care of me!" "I wanna ask you, who do you think takes care of me?" " Nobody." "Not you, Jack." "Certainly not you!" " I'm gonna take care of you." "From now on, all you're gonna do is operate the camera." "That'll take care of you." "Believe me." "You'll be fine in the back." " You can't screw that up." " Is that what you think?" " As for your daughter, the jury's out on her." " I have news for you." "You do it for yourself, Jack." "You're gonna do it." "How's that for news?" " You'll do it, I'm through with it." " That's fine by me." "I'm through with you." "I'm through with it." "Go ahead, set the alarm." "Who cares?" "Is this us?" "Yeah." "Shut that off." "Where the hell is she going?" "Margo, could you step into my office for a second?" "I need to talk to you." "My dream was to be an Olympic skier." "And after the car accident, there was... a chance, well, they told me that there was a chance, that I'd get... use of my legs again, but it never happened." "So..." "I doused myself with gasoline one night... and lit a match." "The only thing worse than this nightmare existence... is the nightmare of a botched suicide attempt." "I wish I could help you, son, but it's not possible." "What you're suffering..." "What Dr. Kevorkian is trying to say, Glen, is that you're clinically depressed... and under these circumstances we can't help you." "If you deal with your depression, you can lead a fulfilling and satisfying life." "And we'll help you find someone that will do that." "Parkinson's takes years, years... before it compromises your daily activities, you know?" "I don't think we can help you now, is what I'm saying." "But if and when the time comes, we'll be here for you." "Okay..." "You know I've never been one to hold grudges." "And I'd like to let bygones be bygones." "What do you say?" "Good." "So then we're reconciled?" " I hope so." " Well, that's good." " Good." "It's good to see you." " Good to see you." "You need to get ready." " Ready for what?" " Dinner at Mr. Fieger's." "Very nice." "What's that?" "Oh, it's a notice of sale." "I mean, this whole building's kaput." "Well, don't worry about it." "We can live together." "We'll be known as "the unemployed Kevorkians."" "Unemployed?" "What does that mean?" "It means..." "I got fired." "No." "When?" "A few weeks ago." " You're just telling me now?" " Jack, we had a falling out." "What happened?" "I'm your sister." "What else?" "Life is God's choice." "Life is God's choice." " Oh, my gosh." " These are my new daily visitors." "Life is God's choice." "Are you going to kill every single person in a wheelchair?" "Disabled people are not worthless." "They are not a drain on society." "You cannot rid the world of inconvenience." "You are worse than an abortionist." "Oh, shut up, you witch." "These are not comparable issues." "Some great minds have died with the assistance of their doctors." "Sigmund Freud, King George." "If it's good enough for the aristoi, it's good enough for the hoi polloi." "He is leading society into an age of enlightenment, you idiots." "Only God can create and destroy." "Have you no religion?" "Have you no God?" "Oh, I do, lady." "I have a religion." "His name is Bach." "Johann Sebastian Bach." "And at least my God isn't an invented one." "Life is God's choice." "Life is God's choice." "Life is God's choice." "Life is God's choice." "Life is God's choice." "Life is God's choice." "Life is God's choice." "Life is God's choice." "Life is God's choice." " Who do you think you are?" " Life is God's choice." "Life is God's choice." ""A fart on Thomas Putnam!"" "Of course, that was the lone laugh in the entire play." ""Because it is my name!" "Because I cannot have another in my life!" "Because I'm not worth the dust on the feet of them that hang!" "How may I live without my name?" "I've given you my soul;" "Leave me my name!"" "ls there any more to that?" "No." " That was beautiful, Jack." " Thank you." "I didn't know you knew that." "That's very good." "That was great." " It's all I know." " You didn't like the sea bass?" "It was a bit fishy, but..." "No, no, don't worry." " Why did you never marry, Jack?" " He was engaged once." "She worked at Hudson's, on Woodward, downtown." "I knew her, I saw her." "Let's not go there." "You never even liked her." " No, I didn't like her." " Let's not go there." " All right, I won't go there." " Oh, come on, come on." "Tell me about this fiancee." "Come on, Jack." "Say a few words." "A little something, I mean..." "What can I tell you?" "We broke up." "It was, you know..." "I think the truth is that girls just make you shake in your boots, Jack." " Okay, yeah." "All right." " All right, then." "Well, somebody needs some coffee." "So come, Margo, come where it's safe." "Governor Engler's gonna be signing a ban in a couple of months." "It'll make assisting a suicide a four-year felony." " Oh, that's laughable." " It's a fucking charade." "I'll appeal it when the time is right, but in the meantime... if you have anything lined up, I suggest getting it done pronto." "We'd have been out of luck... if I hadn't traced those two down at a wholesaler in Kalamazoo." "Where it just so happens an old flame of mine works." "Couple of happy-hour margaritas sealed the deal." "Well, then it was worth the driving." "It's always worth it." "Jack, I just ain't sure these are gonna be enough." "I'll make it work." "I can ration it." "Anyway, I think I got an idea, a way to recapture the gas." "Let's stop over at the hardware store." "Oh, and that's..." "I..." "I apologize for putting you through this." " It's the emphysema." " I know." "Yes, I know." "I know." "We'll just wait for it to pass." "Let him have this one out." "Go ahead." "Be able to breathe." "Okay okay" "Okay." "So we're..." "I think we're ready for the box first." "Like I said to you before, because cf the circumstances I'm in new... we have to use this because I'm saving the gas." "You understand?" "We're gonna recapture the gas." "They won't give me more canisters and I have other patients to serve." "Two others, and I..." "Maybe this isn't such a great idea, doctor." "I don't think it's gonna hold." "No, I think it's gonna be fine." "We're almost there." " Just a little more tape right here." " There." "Just to keep it in." "Here we go." "Like we talked about before, all right?" "What we said is Neal is gonna turn on the gas canister." "When you're ready." " So we're gonna get the signal from you." " Yes, sir." " Sorry for this." "This is not usual." " No, no." "This is not usually what we do but we've run out of luck." " No, no, it's okay." "I get it." " Okay." "It's all right." "I'm ready." "All right." "Thank you for a great life, Cheryl." "You too." "You're so brave." "Take it off." "Take it off." "Take it off me." " What is it?" " It's getting hot." " Hot?" "Watch his..." "Watch his..." " Hot." " It's getting so hot." " It's what?" " Getting so hot." "Hot." " Hot." " He's burning up." " Okay." "Maybe we..." "This has gotta wait." " Oh, I think so." " No, no." "Please." "I wasn't..." "I wasn't prepared for the issue." "I'm awfully sorry." " So let's..." "We can do it..." " It's all right, doc." "It's all right." "Now." "Please." "Do it now, please." "Do it." "Okay." "Let's do it this way." "We don't need this." "Get rid of that." "Just..." "Let's just put the box on." "This is gonna be easier, Hugh." "This." " This here." " Mind your head." " Okay." "Watch your head." " Here it is." " Mind your head." " Mind your head." "Just push it..." "That's it." "That's fine." "This is gonna be easier for you now... because the gas will escape now, it won't heat up." " Just like that, Hugh." "Okay?" " Yes, sir." "Okay?" "Now, air is gonna get through, so you'll be all right." "You're not gonna heat up." "Okay, let me just get this." "Here we are." "Okay, once again, when you're ready, Hugh." "We'll have Neal turn the gas on again, okay?" " I love you, darling." " I love you." "I love you." "It's okay, darling." "I love you." " Oh, God." " It's okay." "I love you." "I love you, darling." "I love you." "He's gone, my dear." "I'm gonna type out the final-action report and give it to you tomorrow." "God." "So you ever gonna say anything?" "Because nothing irks me more than have you sitting there simmering." "God forbid I should irk you." "Well, just spit it out, you got something to say." " Great Jack Kevorkian, you know better." " That's right." " Nothing gets in the way of the mission." " The mission?" "What mission?" "Is that what you call rationing?" "Taping a fucking sheet of plastic around a poor guy's head?" "We should've waited till we had more gas." " And when would that have been I wonder?" " I should have insisted." "He was..." "He was..." "He was done." "You understand?" "He wanted it done." "He was begging for it." "We wanted to go." "We were ready to go." "He was begging us to stay." " He wanted it done, you saw that." " Yeah, I saw it." "Freaked the shit out of me." "Well, it worked out." "It got done." "I knew it would." "We can't be cutting corners anymore." "This isn't the old days." "We're not down in a lab winging it anymore." "Jack, the next time it doesn't feel right, call it off." "These are my decisions to make, Neal." "Mine alone." "Yes, sir, Kemo Sabe." "This is the one we got through the search warrant at Kevorkian's." "You can see where he's whited out a number of lines and typed over." "And this is the one found in Nicol's trash by a concerned activist." "Mr. Gale's desperate pleas to take off his gas mask were deleted... and replaced with the phrase:" ""Patient became flushed." "Agitated." "Breathing deeply."" ""Increased rate of respiration and muscle tension with no overaction."" "This directly contradicts Mr. Nicol's photocopied version." ""Saying, 'Take it off.'"" "And suggests that Dr. Kevorkian was attempting to cover something up." ""Saying, 'Take it off' once again, he fell into unconsciousness."" "The tragedy is that Mr. Gale did not wanna die that day... but Dr. Kevorkian didn't care." "An inquest will be held." " He lied in his report." " He's the most honest man I know." " Honest to a fault." " Could we continue, please?" "Mr. Nicol, when Mr. Gale said, "Take it off..."" "He was talking about the plastic tent on his head, not the gas mask." "And his lungs locked up, that happens with emphysema." "Then why would Dr. Kevorkian feel the need to correct..." "You're grasping at straws here." "It was a simple typographical error... which I pointed out to him and he corrected." "He typed up a new copy which was going to go in our records..." " Before you ransacked his apartment." " This typo in its original was four lines long." "Why wouldn't he just rip it up and start again if it was a mistake?" "To save on paper." "Dr. Kevorkian is incredibly cheap." "It was a very emotional day." "As they all are." "And I'm sure when he typed it up it was in the middle of the night... and he was trying to do three things at once like he always does." "Mrs. Gale, please... for your husband's sake, the truth." "My husband of 22 years... faced death so many times from his seizures... he used to pray not to wake up." "He talked about shooting himself... but he didn't wanna leave me the mess to clean up." "So here's your truth, Mr. Thompson." "As sick as Hugh was, I begged him not to make the call." "I begged him every night for nine months." "And then before Christmas I asked him what he wanted for a gift... the last gift I'd ever give him... and he said, "There's only one thing you can get me, sweetheart." "It's an appointment with Dr. Kevorkian."" "I find no factual basis to proceed." "Exonerated once again." "Jack:15, Thompson:" "Zilch." "Wow, no wonder everyone's drinking at this show." " Is that Santa Claus stepping on a baby?" " Yes." "Tell me about doc's Christmases." "Looks quite morbid." "Well, except for the flower that is." "Thank God, I'm not his shrink." "Our grandparents, our aunts, our uncles..." "The Armenian Holocaust, it was the same as the Jews." "Only our parents, barely teenagers, were able to flee." "Growing up, all we heard were those terrible stories of all the bloodshed... and it frightened Jack so." "It's all dealing with the melancholy age-old struggle... between the warmth of life, the iciness of death." "Only, I'm sure that thing would be better served had a real artist done it." "Many nights he would just sit in his bed, lights on a must... you know, clutching that little dog of ours so tight..." "Wait a minute." "Wait a minute." "He had a dog?" " You're looking so intently." " Yes." "What are you feeling?" "That's what I'd like to know." " It's" " It's?" " Would you like a glass of wine?" " Hi." "I know what you're feeling." "You're feeling it's macabre." " It is macabre, my friend." " Yes, but you're looking at it nonetheless." "It's like war." "War, you're drawn to it, but after you've been through it you say:" ""Oh, that was grotesque, macabre, strange, ugly."" " That's the feeling I'm trying to convey." " I'm sold." "I heard "sold."" " How much, Jack?" " Whatever you think is fair." " My patients thank you in advance." " Good." "This is from my private collection." " Hello?" " Dr. Kevorkian..." "I'm afraid we have some bad news regarding your sister." "It appears she had the heart attack a couple of hours before she called 911." "Perhaps she thought that whatever it was, it would just pass." "I'm terribly sorry for your loss." "Wouldn't you like to see her?" "No." "By late much too often deceived By too early a death now relieved" "Of the burdens she bore My sis Margo gave more" "To my life than she ever received" "The whole question of death and dying involves the most profound... and complex ethical questions that we must decide as a society." "At no time have the people of Michigan or the Michigan Legislature... granted Jack Kevorkian, or any other individual... the sole right to decide who lives or dies in our state." "Thank you, governor." "Congratulations." " Over here." "Just swing it right over here." " We're gonna save some of that stuff." "Come on." " We all support you, Jack." " Oh, thank you, fellas." "Thank you." " Could I?" " Oh, yeah." " Jimmy, give me a hand here." " Come on." "I'm signing an autograph, okay?" "Wait a minute." "I got it in a settlement a couple years ago." "Beats the hell out of your apartment." "A lake." " Geese?" " Yeah." "Well, it is a bit romantic for my taste." "Oh, well, sue me for trying to put a goddamn roof over your head, Jack." " Well..." " I'm not letting you live in some YMCA." " Come on." " Fine." "Only I have taken this yet." "And if I do, I'm paying the rent." "I'm no charity case." "Okay, I'll take it." " Okay." "Geoff?" "Let's go." " Yeah?" "Let's go." "Don't you have work to get back to?" "Like what?" "Like what?" "Like appealing the 15-month ban that's tying my hands." "What's on your mind, Jack?" "They made a law, specifically to stop me." "I wanna challenge it." "I wanna test it." "What is this?" "Thomas Hyde, 30 years old." "Lou Gehrig's disease." "You gonna go along with me on this?" "I'm with you, Jack." "Okay, don't strain too much." "Don't strain, don't strain." "He's gonna get a cramp here, does he?" "Yes." "All right, that's enough of the physical stuff, Tom." "No more physical." "I just wanted you to move a little for the record." "So now, Tom, tell me, what is it you wish?" "In plain English." "Bond is set for $50,000." "You gonna pay that today?" " That is beyond egregious." " There is no way I'm going to pay... a bond like that, Your Honor, you can forget it." "You can forget it because this is the last time..." "Jack." "You people unjustly take away from me my liberties." " I need a moment with my client." " And I will not..." "Hear me now." " I will not eat." "Guaranteed." " Jack." " I apologize for my client." " You are assisting in my suicide." "Please, Jack, Jack, Jack." "Listen." "Come on." "Jack, this is better than I could have imagined." "Every paper's treating you as a victim." "Don't even think about paying my bond." "Let them convict me." "You're not getting convicted on my watch." "Here, Jack." "Come on." "Have a Bazooka." "Bazooka?" "No, it is not cheating." "It's just a little apple juice." "I put some vitamin drops in, that's all." "Go ahead." " Vitamin drops?" " There you go." "I've seen you before, haven't I?" "What the hell is in here?" "You've seen better days." "Just drink it down." "I sure have." "That's it." " That's sweet of you, Janet." " My pleasure, doc." " Share some with me." " No, no, no, you have it." "I'm on the wagon." ""Because it..."" ""Because it..."" "What is it?" "I know this." "I know this so well." "Why can't I...? "Because it is my name."" ""Because it is..."" ""My soul."" ""Because this..." How could I not know that?" ""Because it is my name."" ""Because I cannot..."" ""Because I cannot have another in my life."" ""Because I cannot have another in my life." "Because it is my name."" "I have given you my life." "I have given you my life." ""Because I would..." "Because I would..." No, no, no." ""Because I cannot nave..." "Because I cannot have a..."" "Let me not..." "Because I..." "So what?" "So I don't know it." "I cannot..." "Cannot have any love in my life." "Is this maybe...?" "Because..." "Because..." ""How may I live without my name?"" ""... given you my soul."" "Margo." "Margo." "You were right." "It's nicer." "It is nicer." "I can..." "I can..." "Because it..." "Because it..." "Because it is me." "Because it is me." "Because it is me." "It's been 19 days." "I'm granting Mr. Fieger's request to reduce your bond to 100 bucks." "Thank you, Your Honor." "If you wanna fire me, go ahead." "So is there anything else you wish to add, Tom, or have Heidi tell us?" "Or, Heidi, is there anything you would add before we conclude this discussion?" "I'm sorry, honey." "That's all I wanted to say." "It's too much for us." "Tom, I love you." "Jail Jack!" "Jail Jack!" "Jail Jack!" "I remind Kevorkian this not-guilty verdict... does not change the fact that we still have a ban in effect." "I think mankind took a historic step today out of the Dark Ages." "It makes me think of the Nuremberg trials... when a law is deemed immoral by you, you must disobey it." "You must disobey it." " Thank you." " Dick." "The man's invincible." "Hell, so am I." "Just got word that the Court of Appeals is gonna hear arguments on your ban." "Hell, I'm gonna win that too." "Why can't we have clinics doing this stuff?" "Every city should have a clinic where someone can go." "I just got an idea." "I'm gonna have one of my own." "How does it feel to be victorious?" "Victorious?" "I never feel victorious." "I just go ahead and do what I do." "This isn't a victory to me." "It's just common sense." "You don't need hardly nothing." "The walls are good." " No, you can't leave it white." " What's wrong with white?" "You want something that's cream, or robin's-egg blue." "Something that's warm." "Something that's peaceful." "Should be higher, you think?" "I don't have any window nails on me right now." "Well, you know, Neal, it's not like it's 500 pounds, you know?" "Just lift it up." "There it is." "That looks good." "It's not center enough, but who cares, right?" " There you go." " It's perfect." "Yep." "I couldn't tell because I gotta go outside and see it here." "Oh, yeah." "Oh, yeah." "If you're unconscious, they have the right to turn off the feeding tube and let you die." "But if you're conscious and rational... and begging for assistance to be allowed to die... we refuse." "We refuse." "Now, how is it possible... that a mentally-competent adult not have the right... to look a doctor in the eye and say, "I've had enough." "I can't endure any more pain." "Help me, I've had enough"?" "Do we really want government making those decisions for us?" "No." "It can't be." "It just can't be." "In a rented storefront in Warren..." "Kevorkian aided the death of a Kansas City, Missouri woman..." "Forget it." "Are you trying to say you didn't know who I was?" "You didn't really think this was gonna be a bakery, did you?" "You got 24 hours to vacate." "Not a minute more." "If we can get into another storage unit..." "Not storage unit, but another place." "We've got a place to move all the crap so we don't have to..." "Well, you gotta store it or they're gonna throw it out on the street." "Shoot." " Ray, boy." " They shut us down, Ray." "They just shut us down." "You know, same kind of thing spurred the '67 riots, you know?" "You remember?" "Of course, you remember, you were there." "You were a captain, weren't you?" "What's the matter?" " Hey, Jan." " Janny?" "What's going on?" "I've got the cancer." "Pancreatic." "They diagnosed me this morning." "Giving me six months." "But I'm not rolling over like that." "Here, make yourself useful." "Put that in the oven." "Here." "What do you got?" " Pecan sandies here or...?" " No, it's chocolate chip." " Here, here's another one." " Yeah." "So, what's new with you?" "They shut us down." "So we're gonna have to... you know, find another place." "We will." "We'll find another place." "Don't worry." "Hey, Jack." "Hey, Geoff." "They don't wanna eat today." "I'm sorry to hear about Janet." "Here." "The Court of Appeals ruling just came in and they ruled in our favor." "They said that the law was so poorly worded that it could not be upheld." "Well, I'm glad to hear there's still some smart people in power left." "Well, that was the good news." "They also ruled that there's no constitutional right to commit suicide." "I take back what I just said." "And that aiding in one falls under an old common-law definition of murder." "Common law?" "What the hell is that?" "We're gonna retry him on Sherry Miller and Marjorie Wantz." "Those two weren't terminal and it's my job to see they get justice." " Are you really certain that...?" " I got him in my cross-hairs now." "The public doesn't want another trial." "From all I hear, they're ready to turn the page." "I stopped worrying about public perception a long time ago, David." "Public crusader or attention-grabbing egotist?" "You be the judge as Dr. Jack Kevorkian... appears at the courthouse locked in an old-fashioned wooden pillory." "Prosecutor Dick Thompson can only hope... his roll of the dice finally muzzles the maverick physician." "Top defense lawyer Mayer Morganroth has his money on Jack." "This is a clear manifestation... of the existence of the Inquisition in this state." "Medieval punishment for a medieval concept." " This is not a trial." " Your Honor, please." "What law have I broken?" "Tell me, what law have I broken?" "Some antiquated common laws." "Common law." "You know that it's a crime..." " Your Honor." " Just a moment." "To convert from Christianity to Islam?" "Did you know that was a common law?" "It's a crime not to believe in the Bible." "That's a common law." " This is not a trial." " Your Honor." "This is not a trial, it's a lynching." "And I'm not gonna participate in my own lynching." "Can we presume, just for the hell of it, that we are really in a courtroom?" "No, I will not presume." "I refuse to presume." "Can we presume this is a real trial?" "No, we can't, because there's no law here." " Am I wrong?" " You're wrong!" "Prove it." "Cite to me one common-law case of assisted suicide." " One." "Go ahead." " I will ask the questions, sir." " We're all waiting." "Cite one, smart-ass." " Are you gonna answer my question?" " Go ahead and do it." " Your Honor." "Dr. Kevorkian, I'm warning you." "Your Honor, you may cite me for contempt, but I'm finished with this farce." "I'm not gonna be a part of it." "I just can't." "I'm so sick and tired of this fusion..." " Resume the stand, Dr. Kevorkian." " ...of religious dogma and medicine." "Can I ask for a recess, please?" "Just a couple of minutes." " Recess." " Thank you, Your Honor." "Thank you." "There's nothing anybody could do for me and everybody knows that..." "Time to give it up, Dick." "Or I would not be here." "Jack." "Jack, I told you those videotapes were gonna be our golden ticket." "But we have to take this to the Supreme Court, Geoff." "We have to do it." "We still gotta get a law legalizing assisted suicide, no?" "Congratulations." "Hey, Jack." "Come on, you won." " Enjoy yourself." " Morganroth is right, Jack." "You'll never see another courtroom again." "The house of cards is falling... and Engler's going down with it." "Ladies and gentlemen!" " Come on." " Please, please..." "I have an important announcement." " I've decided to run for governor." " Here, here!" "Fieger for governor!" "Fieger's your fire!" "Next stop, Lansing!" "David Gorcyca, Oakland County prosecutor." "Has a nice ring to it." "You know, you owe me after the way I demolished Thompson for you." "I know you'll stay out of Jack's hair." "Thompson blew way too many taxpayer dollars on these prosecutions." "I've no intention to waste one more nickel." "As long as Kevorkian stays in line... he can assist as many patients as he damn well pleases." "No worries." "Jack's learned to listen to everything I say." "You know, I'm only operating by the grace of this prosecutor." ""Go ahead, you can go do your thing in some dark little corner of the universe... but do it quietly," you know?" "The lingering of death, what a business." "Keep death alive." "Hospitals don't make money otherwise." "Drug companies either." "If you're rich and you have the money, you can pay to die." "But the poor, they can only afford to stick it out and suffer." " They say complacency is a virtue..." " Oh, stop whining." "You make me more nauseous than my chemo." "You have full reign, huh, just deal with it." "Yeah." "I think the biggest mistake of my life was not getting married." "Excuse me?" "I could've, you know." "Procreated." "Kept the family name alive." "Why not?" "Procreate?" "You would've made that big a sacrifice... to keep the family name alive?" "You would've done that?" "Well, sometimes, you know, you gotta get your hands a little dirty." "Well, could you have loved though, doc?" "That's the bigger question." "Could you, have loved?" "You didn't put sugar in here again." "Don't get up." "We need to have a conversation." "You know I'm not lugging this thing around just because it's sexy." "And you're the only doctor in my neighborhood that practices euthanasia." "Oh, we're not there yet." "You got plenty of time." "Fieger!" "Fieger!" "Fieger!" "Okay, okay." "Let's keep these signs up." "Let's keep them up there." "Oh, don't drop that." "Did you get a T-shirt?" "Get those buttons out there." "Buttons, buttons." "What is your official stance on the assisted-suicide issue?" "I give my word to the people of Michigan... that I will not be supporting doctor-assisted suicide." "Even with your history with Dr. Kevorkian?" "What I've always said is I support an individual's right to choose." "But I repeat, I will not be supporting doctor-assisted suicide." "There you have it, folks." "Now back to you, John." "This is Megan, from Channel 4 News." "There's something happening here, people... and if you don't know what it is, it's Geoffrey Fieger." "The 47-year-old Fieger's flair for the dramatic... has enlivened a campaign that most analysts said would be dishwater dull." "No longer advocating for Kevorkian, Fieger is now advocating for himself... and campaigning with Michigan voters." "Billing himself as the "anti-politician."" "Governor Engler is dumber than Dan Quayle and twice as ugly." "He's a racist and he's a liar." "It's the acerbic tongue of Geoffrey Fieger's... that Republicans say they'll make the major issue of this upcoming race." "God had his chance to come take me." "I'll go to him instead." "You gonna look at me, doc?" "Or is it an Armenian thing?" " Is what?" " You know, keeping it all in inside... just keep it going." "Is that an Armenian thing?" " Oh, I don't know." " How could it be an Armenian thing?" "Margo was just as Armenian as you are and she'd talk my ear off." "She told me everything." "She could share." "You don't share." "What do you want me to share?" "Anything." "Everything." " I'm afraid..." " I know, I know." " No, you don't." " Yes, I do." "I'm not afraid for myself, you dope." "I'm afraid for you." "All right?" "Your little band of Kevorkians is shrinking into nothing." "Will you come closer?" "I can't see you out there." "Here." " Right here." " Yes." "Okay." "See, Margo and I were the only two that could tell you to shut up." "Look, you need more people in your corner, not less." "People that you can trust." "And the only way people trust each other is if they know each other." "And nobody knows you." "Nobody." "How did it feel when your mother was dying?" "You were a doctor, a healer... and you were helpless." "How did that feel?" "You know, I failed her I failed my mother." "And?" "She once said to me:" ""imagine, Jack, the worst toothache in the world." "Now, imagine that toothache being in every bone in your body."" "That's..." "That's what was happening to her." "She was my mother." "I devoted my life to her." "No" "So how'd you feel?" "I remember..." "I remember being in this little hospital room, this chilly little room... lone window in the red brick wall... that's what it faced... and all these doctors circling around my mother... trying to keep her alive." "And I was helpless." "I was powerless, helpless and ineffectual." "And I felt... lost." "I was lost." "That's how I felt." "Thanks, doc." "Thanks." " Ray and the kids..." " Yeah." "Give my love to Margo." "Yes." "HEY, YOU guys." "Okay." "Your little band of Kevorkians is shrinking into nothing." " Jack." " Dr. Kevorkian." "Dr. Kevorkian." "Dr. Kevorkian, over here." "Over here." "Come on, give us a smile, Dr. Kevorkian." "I'm afraid for you." "You're not the best spokesperson for the cause, really." "We have to take this to the Supreme Court, Geoff." " I don't have forever." " Jack." "Jack." "Your little band of Kevorkians is shrinking into nothing." "Disappearing." " Give us a smile." " Dr. Kevorkian, just one question." "Dr. Jack Kevorkian was among the Who's Who on hand... to celebrate TIME magazine's 75th Anniversary Gala at Radio City Music Hall." "The big night was attended by many of the faces... who've appeared on TIME'S covers over the decade." "You need more people in your corner." "I'm afraid for you." "From Joe DiMaggio to Jerry Falwell, to Raquel Welch to Henry Kissinger." "I'm afraid for you." "Your little band of Kevorkians is shrinking into nothing." "I don't have forever." "We have to take this to the Supreme Court, Geoff." " Jack, I'm dealing with the religious right." " My condolences." "And the disability group, they think you wanna kill the whole lot of them." "So?" "What have we accomplished?" "No law's been passed." "I mean, this is the prelude." "This is the beginning." "The Battle of Concord, the Battle of Lexington..." " What are you thinking?" " I'm thinking of the Supreme Court." "I'm thinking of going all the way." "If they wanna silence me, let them prosecute me." "Convict me." "Send me to jail." "Like Martin Luther King or Galileo..." "The Supreme Court has already said... that the states do have the right to outlaw doctor-assisted suicide!" "You don't listen!" "They also said that they would hear a case... if the right one came along." "If it was for a particularly suffering individual, they would hear it." "You don't listen." "Okay, Tom, so have you discussed your wishes with your wife and family?" "Do they want you to go on?" "Yes." "They understand why." "It's my decision." "He's saying, "It's my decision."" "Okay." "Now, Tom, I will be administering direct lethal injection." "What's called "active euthanasia."" "You don't wanna wait a month or so?" "No, I do not." "How about two weeks?" "Two weeks?" "No." "A week?" "Can you wait a week?" " Yeah." " Okay." "Okay, we'll stretch it out another week." "Doing the deed yourself?" "This is really crossing into uncharted territory." "So I set sail." "Rudderless, I admit... but that's the way it goes." "This is gonna allow me to do direct lethal injection." "I'm alone, Neal." "And I'm running out of time." "That first day, 35 years ago... you came down to the basement lab and talked to all us med techs... you were the only doctor in our whole hospital... we didn't think was a pompous son of a bitch." "Well, that was your first mistake." "Yeah, I let you stick needles in me, transfuse cadaver blood." "Shit, you weren't the only one that got hepatitis, Jack." "Hell, we had some good times." "You had purpose, Jack." "You had purpose, and I guess I needed some too." "And I know this is your decision... but if you decide to pull the plug on somebody yourself... you're gonna be flying solo." "Yes?" "This is Melody Youk." "I'm sorry to call so late, but it's Tom." "He can't wait any longer." "He's terrified." "Oh, okay." "Okay." "I'm on my way." "Just say your goodbyes then, Melody... because I don't want anyone to be there when I do this thing." "I'm on my way." " Jack." " Hey, Jack." "Look what I got." "I want a national debate on this." "Because once that happens, they have to charge me." " They have no choice, right?" " With murder, maybe." "I wanna put euthanasia on trial." " Let the people decide if it's murder." " You're gonna sacrifice yourself." "You could go to prison for the rest of your life." "You know, I know Barbara Walters." "She likes me." "But I want a bigger audience." "You know Mike Wallace, don't you?" "No, I under..." "Yeah." "I mean, it..." "If you put him on the air, will you be dealing with a rational human being?" "Well, I can't promise rational with Kevorkian, Mike." "But if you're asking if he's sane, I'd say yes." "He knows exactly what he's doing." "Dr. Jack Kevorkian... who has acknowledged helping more than 130 patients kill themselves... tonight reveals that two months ago he killed one of his patients himself... and recorded it on videotape." "Tom Youk led an active life." "He restored and raced vintage cars." "But two years ago at age 50, he was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig's disease... a devastating incurable illness that destroyed his muscles." "He lost the use of his legs and then his arms." "His family says he was in terrible pain, had trouble breathing and swallowing... and was choking on his own saliva." "And we're ready to inject." "We're gonna inject your right arm, okay?" "First, the doctor gave him Seconol to put him to sleep quickly." "Sleepy, Tom 9" "Tom, are you asleep?" "You asleep?" "He's asleep." "Then he injected a muscle relaxant to stop his breathing." " And this...?" " Paralyzes the muscles." " But he's still alive at...?" " Well, he's still alive, but that's why..." "Now you see?" "Now his lack of oxygen is getting to him now." "But he's unconscious, deeply, so it doesn't matter." " Is he dead now?" " He's dying now." "Because his oxygen's cut off, he can't breathe." "So I'll now quickly inject the potassium chloride to stop the heart." "Now there's a straight line." " He's dead." " Yep." "The heart has stopped." "I'm shocked that it's come to this, that in the 90's... we have to make such an issue out of something... a person should be in control of." "Their own life and death." "And those who say that..." "Jack Kevorkian, Dr. Death, is a fanatic?" "Zealot." "I'm fighting for me, Mike." "For me." "Because this is a right I want." "I might wind up being terribly suffering." "I'd like to know there's a colleague out there... who would come to me in my time of need." "Now, that might sound selfish, and maybe it is... but if it helps everybody else, then so be it." "This whole thing's making me sick to my stomach." "Well, he admits on national TV that he's a killer." "Fifty-million homes heard him say "fuck you" to us." "I want that whole interview, and I want him convicted." "Let's make it happen, John." "He's gone too far." "I'm gonna represent myself." "What, are you're firing me?" "Finally, I get to say what I wanna say." "No lawyer, not even you, can address a jury the way I can." "Migrate, will you?" "Jack, you don't know shit about law." "Okay?" "They'll hurt you." "No, I'm gonna hurt them." "Because if I lose, I hurt them, if I win, I hurt them." "You're lucky you're in Michigan, if you were in some other state, they'd fry your ass." "Here they'll just toss you in a cell and throw away the key." " This is not a game." " No, it's a game." "It's a game that if I lose, I win because I go to the Supreme Court." "I get this debate in front of the people where it belongs." "That's an assumption." "What if you're wrong?" "Are you willing to set back the legalization of assisted suicide..." " Never been wrong." "Not gonna start now." " ...for God knows how long?" "!" " Migrate." " Jack, would you forget the geese?" "Migrate!" "Lookit, you're hiding behind the boat." "You know, I never minded feeding them, but look at this." "All over." "It's poop." "Watch where you're stepping." "Look at this." "Geoff." " Yeah?" " Your problem..." " ...you don't see the big picture." " My problem is that you're a stubborn fool." "For a brilliant man, you show an alarming lack of judgment when it counts most." "I don't care what happens to me." "And I'm not afraid, because I'm right." "Thank you very much." "A grateful John Engler enjoys the thrill of his victory... for a third term as Michigan's governor." "He trumps his Democratic opponent." "Geoffrey Fieger has to feel somewhat humiliated today." "This is a man who's not used to losing, not used to losing the big one certainly... and the voters of Michigan have pretty resoundingly said:" ""Geoffrey, we might hire you if we had a legal case... but we don't want you to be our governor."" "Pre-trial hearings get underway today... on the People of the State of Michigan v. Jack Kevorkian." "Now, this is following that controversial broadcast of a videotape... showing Dr. Jack Kevorkian giving a fatal dose of chemicals to Thomas Youk... on the news program 60 Minutes." "A wide array of protest groups have amassed outside the Oakland County Courthouse... contentiously voicing both their opposition and support." "One way or another, this is Dr. Jack Kevorkian's fifth trial... and it very well may be his last." "I've looked at all the motions." "Mr. Gorosh, I'm denying your motions... to quash all the charges against Dr. Kevorkian." "There's no basis to dismiss." "But I do think there is an argument here... that murder and assisted suicide are incompatible charges by definition." "Well, that may be something to be debated in a law-school class... but not in my courtroom." "And Mr. Skrzynski, I am granting your motion... to limit testimony on the murder charge, but not on assisted suicide." "A person's pain and suffering is very relevant... when defending an assisted-suicide charge." " Trial starts in five days." " Okay, thank you." "It just occurred to me... why don't we drop the assisted-suicide charge altogether?" "What are you saying?" "I'm saying that what proved lethal in all our other cases... was the family members testifying... juries hearing about conditions of the victims... how much pain they were in, all that bullshit." "If we drop the charge, make it all or nothing on murder... the widow, the brother, they won't get to testify." "Precisely." "Just take all that sympathy out of the courtroom." "Do you understand, Dr. Kevorkian... that you are charged with first-degree murder... and delivery of a controlled substance?" "And that the assisted-suicide charge has been dropped?" "I do." "Yes." "You understand that you could spend the rest of your life in prison?" "Whatever's left of it, sure." "You understand what prison is?" "Did you see The Shawshank Redemption, sir?" "No." "Do you understand you may not disrupt or inconvenience the court... in any way, shape, or form?" "I will act like the guest that I am." "You're no guest, you're the defendant." "What do you think of Dr. Jack Kevorkian actually helping people kill themselves?" "Well, my grandma's very sick and, you know... every day she asks me, "Bring me Jack Kevorkian."" "Doctors are supposed to uphold a Hippocratic oath though, save lives." "I understand people are dying and should be dying gracefully with dignity and honor." "I don'!" "think we ought to put them out to pasture." "I think he rocks." "He gives people a choice... of whether or not they want to suffer throughout terminal illness or not." "Dr. Kevorkian is one of the most audacious serial killers this country has ever known." "Let's say your mother wanted his help, wanted to kill herself... what would you think of that?" "Well, if she was mentally competent..." "I would ask what she wanted, and support her." "The names of dozens of other people who died with the help of Jack Kevorkian... laid out on the courthouse lawn to make a point." "Conviction is important because Jack Kevorkian is the most public symbol... of the euthanasia movement, and we need to stop him." "Please tell us Dr. Dragovic, did Mr. Youk's ALS contribute to his death at all?" " No." " Then how did he die?" "He was poisoned by intravenously-injected substances." "Is homicide always murder, doctor?" " No, sir." " When is it not murder?" "Objection." "It's a legal question." "Sir, you may question him in regard to his autopsy report... but nothing further that's legal." "But why?" "Look, I..." "If you consulted your attorney, he'd tell you why." " Okay. ls euthanasia always murder?" " Objection." "Always homicide?" " Yes, sir." " Yes, it's always homicide." "And you stated that homicide is not necessarily always murder." "Therefore... out of pure logic, wouldn't you say that euthanasia's not always murder?" " Objection." "Calls for a legal conclusion." " No, it calls for simple logic." "It's..." "It's a syllogism." "It calls for nothing but syllogism." "Again, you're asking him to make a legal conclusion." "No, but this is a mathematical conclusion." "It's simple arithmetic." "I don't know shit about the law either, but I know when I'm watching a train wreck." "Yeah, well, I told him Gorosh is a putz." "It can't possibly be a fair fight." "You gotta do something, Geoff." "Anything." "Dr. Kevorkian, Tom's brother's flight from France got delayed... but he will be here soon." "Okay." "Don't worry, we're gonna get you both on the stand to testify." "I know you wanna call Melody Youk as your first witness... but what is it that she's going to testify to?" "Well, she's going to testify about my intent." "And what she observed, and our discussions..." "Dr. Kevorkian, that has no relevance here." "I assumed your counsel would have advised you about this... that once the assisted-suicide charge was dropped... you could no longer put these witnesses before the jury." "Yeah, but I'm talking about what went on, you know, as to my intent." "Your feeling compelled to help Mr. Youk is not a legal defense." "And you're already aware that a person's condition has no bearing in a murder case." "But that I didn't kill her husband, you see?" " This is relevant." " Okay." "Okay." "We'll make a special record, outside the presence of the jury." "I will rule on that." " Oh, okay." " All right?" " Okay." "Thank you." " Thank you." "Melody, did you tell me it was your intention... or Tom's intention that I kill him?" "Oh, no, no." "That was not our intent." "And when I met you, I felt it was not your intent." "It was never your intent or our intent that Tom..." "There it is, there it is." "You see?" "Other than..." "Released from his suffering." "So the word "kill," did it ever crop up?" " Or "murder"?" " No." "No." "Ugly words." "Ugly, ugly words." "You're talking about mercy killing." "And her statements can't show your state of mind, they only show hers." "Therefore, I cannot allow her to testify before the jury." "But wait, I wanna say something." "I have so much I wanna say." "I have been waiting for four goddamned months for this opportunity." "You may call it mercy killing, I call it something else." "I call it a medical service for an agonized, incurably suffering patient." "That's what I call it." "All right?" "What difference does it make what you call it?" "When you have these fine stipulations of law... standing in the way of a dedicated physician." "And I am a dedicated physician." "I mean, my integrity would be destroyed if I turned my back on that patient." "I would rather be dead." "It's far worse." "You could take my life, it'd be worse." "This was a service." "This was a service." "It had nothing to do with "kill" or "murder." It was a service." "It was a medical service that was being done." "I can't be clearer." "I can't be clearer than that, Your Honor." "I see the emotion, I understand it, but it's not relevant." "Please step down, Mrs. Youk." "Okay." "It's okay." "Jessica Cooper has already ruled... that Dr. Kevorkian's side can't put into evidence... that there was suffering here by the victim." " Does that make any sense?" " No, see, I think it's an improper ruling." "Both in terms of the nature of this trial and criminal defenses in general." "You're entitled to put forward any plausible defense to explain the context of your act... and she's already limited him from doing that." "It's like watching a man hang himself." "Once you knew they were dropping... the assisted-suicide charge what was your plan?" "He doesn't let me help him." "What am I supposed to do?" "You're supposed to get creative." "Why didn't you argue that Youk's wife and brother were eyewitnesses... to the event the prosecutor's calling a murder?" "Then Cooper would've had to have let them testify." "But that window's closed now." "Did you ever pass the fucking bar exam?" "Dave." "There are those who would say about Dr. Jack Kevorkian:" ""Right message, wrong messenger."" "And who is the right messenger?" "Now, I'm confused about this, Dr. Kevorkian." "You said you had another witness." "I'm not allowing his testimony on the same grounds I didn't allow Mrs. Youk's." "I'm sorry you flew all this way, Mr. Youk." "Would you like to take the stand in your own defense, Dr. Kevorkian?" "I'm sorry." "Sir, would you like to take the stand in your own defense?" "Oh, I heard you." "I did." "You know, I don't lie and I don't exaggerate." "And... you know, you never said why." "You accuse me of these heinous things, but you never said why." "Did you?" "No, just saying." "I'm just saying." "You know, just so you know." "Sir, let's keep to the relevance here." "Oh, this is..." "Oh, it's not relevant?" "I guess it's not." "It's not relevant." "I will ask you again, would you like to take the stand in your own defense, sir?" "It's now or never." "Never." "No." "No." "The defense rests." "Not since Ruby killed Oswald did we see a murder on television." "Jack Kevorkian came like a hit man in the night... with a bag of poison to do his job." "What would happen if he got his way and made the state policy euthanasia?" "What could go wrong?" "Well, there are 11 million souls buried in Europe... that can tell you that when you make euthanasia a state policy... catastrophic things can evolve from opening up that box." " How dare you?" "!" " Dr Kevorkian..." "How dare you compare euthanasia with the genocide?" "!" " How dare you?" "!" " You have crossed the line!" "Where is your decency and respect?" "Order in this court." "We will take a brief recess." "Do you see a criminal?" "Do you see a murderer?" "If you do, then you must convict." "And then take the harsh judgment of history... and the even harsher judgment of your children and their children." "If they should ever come to need this choice in their lives." "I just ask you to think about that." "Guilty of the lesser charge of second-degree murder." "And with regard to Count 2, what is your verdict?" "Guilty of delivery of a controlled substance." "This is just wrong." "Yes." "You invited yourself here to make a final stand." "You invited yourself to the wrong forum." "Our nation tolerates differences of opinions... because we have a civilized and non-violent way of resolving our conflicts." "We have the means and methods to protest laws with which we disagree." "You can criticize the law, lecture about the law... speak to the media or petition voters... but you must always stay within the limits provided by the law." "You may not break the law or take the law into your own hands." "No one's unmindful of the controversy... and emotion that exists over end-of-life issues and pain control." "I assume the debate will continue in a calm and reasoned forum... long after this trial and your activities have faded from the public memory." "But this trial was not about that controversy." "This trial was about you, sir." "You've ignored and challenged the legislature and the Supreme Court." "Moreover, you've defied your own medical profession." "This trial was about lawlessness... about your disregard for a society that exists and flourishes... because of the strength of our legal system." "No one is above the law." "You had the audacity to go on national television... show the world what you did, and dare the legal system to stop you." "You publicly and repeatedly announced your intentions... to disregard the laws of Michigan." "Because of this, I am imposing the maximum sentence of 10 to 25 years." "You may now, sir, consider yourself stopped." "Yeah, doc." "Yeah." "You're the man, Jack." "You're the man." "It's all right." "There you go." "Hey, Jack, how you doing?" "Welcome home, Jack."