Resource Tag: UNITED STATES. MICHIGAN

The due process clause of the Fourteenth Amendment protects the right of terminally ill persons to hasten their inevitable death. In prohibiting physicians from prescribing lethal medications by which such patients might hasten death, Michigan’s ban on “assisted suicide” unconstitutionally imposes an undue burden on the exercise of that right. (21 refs.)

This paper reviews the usefulness of the Michigan State Medical Societies forums on physician-assisted suicide. The organizations and interest groups represented at these forums included: Right to Life, Hemlock Society, Michigan Bar Association, Department of Public Health, Catholic Conference, Michigan Hospice, Legislators, and State Government. Many of the representatives see the forums as an ideal […]

This article looks at the issue of physician-assisted suicide in Michigan and argues that discussions should become an open dialogue with groups broadly representative of public concerns. The reason for this is that physicians have an internal professional standard of moral integrity which needs to understand the public and balance their wants with medical ethical […]

This article presents a case in favour of physician assisted suicide. The author bases his argument on the patient’s right to self determination. The author looks at the following related isues: doctors are healers, not killers; mercy killing as forbidden by the AMA; the potential for abuse; and the slippery slope into Nazi-like euthanasia programs.

This article looks at the issue of assisted suicide as being contrary to the physician’s traditional role as healer. The author argues that health care professionals have an ethical duty to provide optimal palliative care to dying patients. The author also looks at the issues of euthanasia not being a reasonable choice and the need […]

This article looks at the issue of assisted suicide in Michigan and the effect Dr. Kevorkian’s actions have had on the debate. The author reviews: public perceptions of the issues of physician assisted suicide, legal cases in physician assisted suicide, who should decide on PAS – if anyone?, and what legislation is acceptable.

The issue of physician assisted suicide is discussed in terms of what type of patient seeks this solution and what type of phyusican would provide such services. The author then looks at the Committee of Bioethics affirmation of the importance of pain management within the context of PAS.

This article reviews a bill from the Michigan Legislature that created a 15 month study commission to report on assisted suicide. The author discusses some of the events surrounding the legislation, the details of the legislation, and finally its likely impact on medical practice.

This article describes an investigation being conducted on the death of Hugh Gale & the assistance provided by Dr. Jack Kevorkian. At issue is the question of whether the patient changed his mind right before death. It reviews previous cases of Kevorkian-assisted suicide & the new Michigan law (February 1993) which makes assisting in a […]

Annas discusses Michigan’s law against assisted suicide passed in February 1993. The law provides for fines &/or imprisonment if a person provides the physical means or participates in a physical act by which another person attempts or commits suicide. Two subsections specify the exceptions to the law. Annas also discusses the difference between Quill, another […]

In this letter to the editor, the authors review the impact of the availability of a pediatric psychologist on the care of children & adolescents admitted to hospital because of suicide attempts. It was found that responses to requests for psychologic consultation were prompt, more consultations were requested resulting in a higher rate of evaluation […]

This article provides the statement of the MSMS (Michigan) Board of Directors on physician-assisted suicide. No official stance towards euthanasia is given, but the statement details physicians’ attitudes toward various forms of assisted suicide, & provides 3 general guidelines for patients care. (VM)

In this study, jail & lockup suicide data from Michigan for 1980-1985 were examined to discover if published profiles of jail suicide are reliable. The authors found only 7 of 80 suicides fit a national profile completely, while 9 suicides would have been totally unexpected. The authors conclude that, because of differences between jail environments […]

In this article, a parallel is drawn between war technology we find unacceptable (e.g., chemical weapons) & the debate over assisted suicide & Jack Kevorkian’s suicide machine. Michigan’s 2 legal precedents in assisted suicide cases, & Janet Adkins’ suicide by Kevorkian’s machine are described. The author asserts war technology which depersonalizes death is usually perceived […]

The author, a bioethicist, describes his experience when he was asked to testify as an expert witness for the prosecution at the January 1991 trial of Dr. Jack Kevorkian. Caplan only agreed to testify with great reluctance as he does not believe that there necessarily is a place for bioethicists at legal trials. His main […]

As a commitment to community service, Nazareth College places nursing students in elementary school settings as part of their training. Students plan & implement health promotion projects on such topics as suicide prevention, disaster response, nutrition & personal hygiene. Through this program, students gain experience, independence, & a sense of helping to meet a community […]

Drug & alcohol use together with social background variables are examined to determine their relationship to adolescent suicide attempts (ages 12-18). This study surveyed 2690 adolescents using self-report methods. The authors found that young women, farm residents, & in general, drug users are more likely to report a suicide attempt. Women who are frequent alcohol […]

The author investigated firearm suicide in a study of suicides committed by this method in Detroit & Wayne County during the months of July-Sept., 1969. Information was obtained from the Medical Examiner’s Office, the Police Department, & the Prosecuting Attorney’s Office. Victims were found to be predominantly middle-aged or older (60%), male (86%), & whites […]

Suicide by electrocution is rare, occurring in only 3 of the 5,000 suicides investigated by the Wayne County Medical Examiner’s Office during the past 2 decades. A case of suicidal electrocution in a filled bathtub is presented & the mechanism of electrocution in water is discussed. The Ground Fault Interruptor Circuit, a modern safety device, […]

This is a summary of a study to determine if people generally accept the beliefs of the American ideology of equality & opportunity. Probability area samples were drawn from a Michhigan city (111 interviewers from a high economic-low suicide social area; 85, from a low economic-high suicide area). The general hypotheses seem to be supported […]

166 cases of self-poisoning were treated on the wards of the 4 community hospitals of Lansing, Michigan in 1981. 91% were suicide attempts. The complication rate was 13.8% and the mortality rate was 0.6%. Aspiration pneumonia was the most common complication, followed by respiratory failure & seizures. No patient with a level of consciousness stage […]

This study analyzes suicide in small local jails. The authors assert that suicide studies have been neglected in jails, & have instead focussed on federal or state prisons. Their study found the suicide rate in a Michigan jail to be much higher than prison rates. Of 25 deaths, 20 were due to suicide. They also […]

To explore suicide as perceived by young adults, the middle-aged, and old people, an area sample of 317 Detroit subjects, whose ages placed them in one of these three generations, was administered a questionnaire concerning their beliefs about the generations and suicide and their self-reported relationship to suicide. All generations believed lower economic status leads […]