Ann Arbor-based University of Michigan Bentley Historical Library has opened the archives of Jack Kevorkian, MD, an alum known as "Dr. Death" for his support of physician-assisted suicide.
The archives include documentation of Dr. Kevorkian's life from 1911 to 2014, including digitized versions of his files on "medicide," or physician-assisted suicide, which contain medical histories, photographs and video and audio recordings of patient consultations.
Dr. Kevorkian provided assisted suicide services to more than 100 terminally ill patients in his career, and served eight years in prison for second-degree murder, when he personally gave a lethal injection.
The recordings, many of which include discussions with patients and family members about quality of life, religion, politics and end-of-life decisions, are now available at a time that is particularly meaningful to public discourse. As of October, five U.S. states have legalized physician-assisted suicide, while many groups strongly oppose the issue.
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