I meant to post something about the death of Jack Kevorkian the other day, but wasn't able to squeeze it in. First of all, any publication that used "Dr. Death" in the headline in order to be clever or cute? Eff you very hard.
More importantly, I believe Kevorkian will be regarded by both historians and medical professionals of the future as a hero who performed an invaluable service during an era when American society was still hopelessly trapped in some sort archaic, evolutionarily-retarded vortex of tee-hee ridicule and self-righteous Puritanism.
Dying with dignity ought to be a given. We ought to be able to die however we want, whenever we want. It's the ultimate manifestation of individual liberty. The domain of government, say nothing of religious zealots, does not include telling me that I should suffer an unnecessarily painful death. It's as simple as that. You can't tell me to suffer meaningless medical pain and indignities by telling me that I can't end my life peacefully and painlessly.
Jack Kevorkian was flamboyant. But he needed to be in order to break through the cacophony of pro-life screeching that ultimately punished him for providing a requested procedure to end pain and suffering. Here's to hoping that assisted suicide becomes an accepted practice in a world increasingly ruled by corporate for-profit healthcare.