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During 1975, Derek Humphrey (84 years old today), is an American journalist. He had been born in England, and authored numerous books, including Final Exit. Perhaps more important, at that time he was a founder of the Hemlock Society, an organization that believes inane individual's choice and in the right to die, and strives to get laws passed to approve for physicians to assist in suicide for patients who seek to die in such a manner. He had compassion and humanity for others including his wife of 22 years. Prior to writing his books, he had helped his wife to commit suicide by taking a vial that Derek had asked a physician to give him. At that time, his wife was suffering from terminal cancer and because she felt that there was no quality in the life she had left, she chose suicide. Derek Humphry respected his wife's wishes and he supported her. This movement led Derek to found the Hemlock Society five years later and today the organization is well known as the "Compassion in Dying and End-of-Life Choices organization." .
As we moved on to the 1990's, in America, the public minds have evolved into broader thinking. It has allowed the public to support the idea of having the right-to-die, favoring possible physician assisted suicide when appropriate and has led to patient legal rights including the ability, through medical directives, to refuses any further rather life-saving techniques, such as do not resuscitate directives, that had typically been used in the past to prolong patients' lives.
On June 4th, 1990 Jack Kevorkian, who has famously become known as Dr. Death, chose to participate as the first physician to assist in a suicide. He truly believed that ethics and death comes hand-in-hand in relieving the suffering of those who need compassion the most. His first patient was Janet Adkins, who was suffering from Alzheimer's. The event took place in Michigan.