Assisted Suicide Crusader Jack Kevorkian Loses Bid to Become Congressman

Bioethics   |   Steven Ertelt   |   Nov 7, 2008   |   9:00AM   |   WASHINGTON, DC

Assisted Suicide Crusader Jack Kevorkian Loses Bid to Become Congressman

by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
November 7
, 2008

Detroit, MI (LifeNews.com) — Assisted suicide crusader Jack Kevorkian lost hid bid to become a Detroit-area congressman. The man who says he killed more than 130 people in suicide efforts ran as an independent against Democrat Gary Peters and pro-life Republican Rep. Joe Knollenberg.

Kevorkian only received 2.7 percent of the vote but Knollenberg lost his run for re-election.

Kevorkian didn’t bring up euthanasia during his Congressional bid but focus mostly on opposing the two-part political system.

He also promoted greater use of the Ninth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which he said could be used to make a national right to assisted suicide and protect other choices from government regulation.

In an interview with the Associated Press after the election, Kevorkian said he wouldn’t run for elected office again and he railed against the current political system.

"This system is too corrupt. This system has to be completely overhauled from the bottom up," Kevorkian said. "You’ve got to get rid of the party system."

Kevorkian turned in 3,200 signatures from district residents to qualify his candidacy for the November ballot.

The former pathologist, after killing dozens of people, went further and actively participated in televised death of Thomas Youk, netting him a 25-year prison sentence. Youk’s euthanasia death was shown on national television and Kevorkian was convicted of second-degree murder.

Kevorkian served just seven years of the sentence and is out on parole.

Michigan law doesn’t prevent ex-convicts from running for office or from voting as is the case in some other states. Once their incarceration is complete, their legal rights, including becoming a candidate, are restored. However, Kevorkian is still on parole until June 2009.

In June, Kevorkian claimed he was harassed by someone who appeared to be a family member of two of his assisted suicide victims.

A man Kevorkian approached reportedly indicated he would sign Kevorkian’s petition and then drew a large "X" across the entire page.

The man is said to have told Kevorkian that he killed his parents and that he could kill Kevorkian.

The retired pathologist, known as "Doctor Death" reported the incident to Royal Oak police.

Sign Up for Free Pro-Life News From LifeNews.com

Daily Pro-Life News Report Twice-Weekly Pro-Life
News Report
Receive a free daily email report from LifeNews.com with the latest pro-life news stories on abortion, euthanasia and stem cell research. Sign up here. Receive a free twice-weekly email report with the latest pro-life news headlines on abortion, euthanasia and stem cell research. Sign up here.