Dr. Death? Every
semester my classes confront this question: If
Americans are guaranteed the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of
happiness, should they also have the right to choose when they want to die? While
my students ponder that, I show them an archival segment from 60 Minutes
featuring Mike Wallace interviewing Dr. Kevorkian not long after the doctor
completed almost eight years of a prison sentence.
Although that sentence was imposed following a trial in
which the Judge did not allow testimony from family members of the man who
chose to die, Wallace allowed them to speak. Each one thanked Kevorkian; they
knew their relative wanted to leave his desperate condition. He could barely
speak and breathe; signing his name was almost impossible. He begged Dr.
Kevorkian to end his life and its misery.
Obvious to Wallace and to my class was that Kevorkian had
nothing to gain. Fame and fortune didn’t interest him. Addressing a dying man’s
wish to end his agony motivated Kevorkian. Nonetheless, when I asked my class
whether he should have done what he did, many said no. Emphatically, they
insisted that only God could determine when death should come.
“What if the dying man had made his own peace with God about
ending his own life?” I asked.
Soon I’ll find what this group of students has to say.
Chances are they’ll continue to condemn Kevorkian, much as singer Richard Marx
did on twitter:
While
many noted that Drew took on hard cases, others rendered stark judgment. Singer
Richard Marx on Twitter compared Pinsky to Dr. Jack Kevorkian, the so-called
suicide doctor: "Same results." [please see: McCready's death renews questions
for Dr. Drew By CHRIS TALBOTT | Associated Press]
Marx’s “stark judgment” reflects a bias that reminds me of
my students’. Indeed, his remark suggests that difficult cases involving
suicidal tendencies are or should be easy to remedy.
But many are not. Years ago, I learned that from Dr. James
Farr, a famous psychologist who shared his thoughts about a suicidal Rabbi both
Farr and I had known. According to Farr, the Rabbi had lived with a death wish
for many years. Both he and Farr discussed it; Farr helped him battle it. And
accept it.
Eventually, both men knew that a time would come when the Rabbi
would end his life on purpose. Although I was shocked when that time came and I
read the jarring obituary, Farr explained that the suicidal act related to the
Rabbi’s negative ground of being.
Long held perceptions that resisted change ruled the day. Had
the Rabbi not been aware of his negative ground of being, his end would have
been incomprehensible. But he knew; he’d planned his suicide.
Farr had probably explained to the Rabbi in great depth the
process that had resulted in the Rabbi’s negative view of himself. In the
course of many workshops, Farr had led us to understand the control our mind
creates then wields. Indeed, Farr had led many of us to alter those controls
and to embrace rather than repel life’s positive energies.
Whether Dr. Pinsky’s approach on Celebrity Rehab was as
effective as Dr. Farr’s is hard to tell. Both men seemed to know that some
people needed more guidance than they’ll ever get. Both men seemed to know that
why the final choice was made may be as hard for us to fathom as life itself.
That’s why our answers may not be the same as theirs. Some
would hope that they’re among angels we’ll have to wait a while to meet.
B. Koplen 2/20/13
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