First of all, do any of you here think it's a crime to help a suffering human end his agony? Any of you think it is? Say so right now. Well, then, what are we doing here?
Jack KevorkianRead
My aim in helping the patient was not to cause death. My aim was to end suffering. It's got to be decriminalized.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote expresses a philosophy of prioritizing the alleviation of suffering over the preservation of life at all costs.
Jack Kevorkian's quote emphasizes his belief in the importance of alleviating suffering for patients, suggesting that the intention behind assisting individuals in dying was not to bring about death itself, but rather to relieve them from the pain and struggles they faced. He argues for the decriminalization of assisted dying, framing it as an ethical approach to addressing unbearable suffering.
Themes
SufferingDeathAssisted SuicideEthicsDecriminalization
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about end-of-life care, you might quote Kevorkian to emphasize the need for compassionate options.
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The patient decides when it's best to go.
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Five to six thousand people die every year waiting for organs, but nobody cares.
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