Waubonsee Community College

Death on demand, Jack Kevorkian and the right-to-die movement, Michael DeCesare

eng

Includes bibliographical references and index

index present

non fiction

Death on demand

bibliography

903284745

Michael DeCesare

Jack Kevorkian and the right-to-die movement

"Death on Demand explores the polarizing role of Jack Kevorkian - "Dr. Death"--As the most visible leader of the right-to-die movement. From a feature on the cover of Time magazine to interviews on shows like 60 Minutes, Kevorkian was a high-profile figure in the right-to-die movement, capturing constant media attention as he helped more than one hundred people kill themselves. / The book opens with the death of Janet Adkins in 1990 - Kevorkian's first assisted suicide - then travels back to Kevorkian's medical school days and follows his nearly four decades as a lone activist. Death on Demand draws on Kevorkian's interviews and published work as well as newspaper and magazine articles to describe the doctor's publicity stunts, criminal trials, years in prison, and activities after he was paroled. Author Michael DeCesare examines Kevorkian's actions in the context of the right-to-die movement to understand his crucial role in bringing the controversial practice of assisted suicide into the public conversation." -- Back cover

Introduction: From Janet Adkins to Brittany Maynard -- "A self-imposed mission": four decades of lone activism -- "They'll be after me for this": lighting a movement's fuse -- "A serial mercy killer on our hands": the emergence of Dr. Death -- "We're some friends of Dr. Kevorkian's": pushing for the right to die -- "A game of cat and mouse": Kevorkian on trial -- "I prefer jail to bail": forcing a showdown -- "Well, sir, consider yourself stopped": a leader's fall and a movement's decline -- Conclusion: death with dignity: after Kevorkian