They eventually found evidence of Nancy's .
Weiss 3.
wishes and the feeding was discontinued, leading to her death. The Cruzan decision spurred considerable evidence in "living wills" which clearly express an individuals desire to discontinue treatment or feeding in specified circumstances (Right to Die 32). .
Euthanasia entered our homes on November 22, 1998, when 60 Minutes aired a miniseries focusing on Dr. Jack Kevorkian. The world watched in a mixture of awe and horror as the doctor injected a potassium chloride into a 52-year-old man lying on a table. "Sleepy Tom?" He eerily whispered into the ear of the patient as his body fell calmly asleep (Showdown 46-47). The man whom he euthanised was Thomas Youk, a man from Waterford, MI who was suffering from advanced stage Lou Gherig's disease, he had lost use of his arms and legs, had difficulty breathing, was barely able to speak, and frequently choked on his own saliva (Showdown 46-47). At the conclusion of the show, Mr. Youk's wife spoke about her reaction to the death of her husband. She appeared remarkably relaxed and relieved for someone who just witnessed the death of her husband as she said that she believed that his death should not be considered murder, but rather it should be considered humane (Showdown 46-47). In December 1998, Dr. Kevorkian was placed under arrest for 2nd degree murder of Thomas Youk. At this time he had admitted to taking part in over one hundred thirty assisted suicides and had been tried for assisted suicide on six different occasions but has manage to escape conviction on each account.
In recent months we have again been exposed to what could be one of the nations most contentious right-to-die battles in decades. Terri Schiavo has existed in a persistent vegetative state with no cognition since she suffered a massive heart attack and her brain went without oxygen for five or six minutes in 1990.
