Campaigning for Death
Jack Kevorkian, Dr. Death, is running for Congress. He has collected enough signatures to qualify for the race in
In
Ms. Schardt, 79, a retired X-ray technician from the Bavarian city of
Her last words, after swallowing a deadly cocktail of the antimalaria drug chloroquine and the sedative diazepam, were “auf Wiedersehen,” Mr. Kusch recounted at a news conference on Monday.
Auf Wiedersehen, Frau Schardt. Tschüsi.
Kusch compared himself to Kevorkian, obviously admiring Dr. Death for his groundbreaking efforts. But Kusch intends to use his training as a lawyer to avoid following Kevorkian’s footsteps to prison.
In Ms. Schardt’s case, he counseled her about how to commit suicide, but did not provide or administer the drugs. He left the room after she drank the poisonous brew and returned three hours later to find her dead on her bed. He videotaped the entire process as proof that he was not an active participant.
Not an active participant, but Kusch certainly is not basking in irrelevance either. He knows where the line is. You just have to provide a little encouragement.
If it’s encouragement you need, you can find plenty of it at Derek Humphrey’s site, complete with soothing music, a well developed rationale, and a testimonial of sorts from his first wife. It’s slick – a website to die for. Humphrey chastises Kevorkian for being a media hound. Death went to jail, whereas Humphrey ushered in
(If you’re looking for an opposing rationale, try this insight from The Anchoress, and then reconsider your definition of dignity.)
The unifying theme of assisted suicide seems to be: If the end cannot be avoided, it can at least be managed. Choose your time and method; leave a good-looking corpse. All is vanity. Kusch did us a favor in removing those distracting arguments about being terminally ill or in constant pain.
I wonder what the reaction would be if someone were encouraging people to commit suicide with a handgun. It’s quick and painless – quicker than drugs. Someone like Kusch would not provide the gun or the ammo, of course. He would simply explain that a small caliber weapon is sufficient when held next to your head. Your corpse will look better without a nasty exit wound, and there will be less mess. Better to use your left. Check the alignment. You’d be surprised how many people miss even at close range. I’ll just leave the room now and check back when I hear the bang. No rush.
No, it’s too visceral. It looks too much like death. It destroys the illusion.
