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CBS led with Jack Kevorkian, the Dr Death of the 1990s, released from a Michigan prison with time off for good behavior after serving eight years for the second degree murder of Thomas Youk, a terminally-ill ALS patient. Cynthia Bowers reminded us that Kevorkian's lethal injection of Youk was seen on CBS' 60 Minutes in 1998. She played a clip from Mike Wallace's forthcoming interview with the paroled Kevorkian for 60 Minutes this Sunday: "What would you do if a desperate person comes to you, Jack Kevorkian, and says I need help?" "It would be painful for me but I would have to refuse him, because I gave my word that I will not do it again."
That "it" was committing euthanasia. ABC's Dean Reynolds (subscription required) repeated Kevorkian's claims that he "helped" more than 130 sick people die "secretly, in homes, motels or even his van." Legislation to permit so-called assisted suicide has been voted on in seven states: successful in Oregon; defeated in Maine, Vt, Mich, Wisc, Wash, Hi. Reynolds noted that supporters of the measures believe that Kevorkian's "back-alley methods" did not help their cause. CBS' Byron Pitts found that in response to Kevorkian's activism, end-of-life pain relief and medical care for the teminally ill has improved. The number of patients in hospices has increased from 150,000 to 1.2m in 20 years. "Caring for emotional and spiritual needs" is part of the treatment, "to make the last days more pleasant than painful."
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