Michigan v. Kevorkian
Michigan Court of Appeals
639 N.W.2d 291 (2001)

- Written by Solveig Singleton, JD
Facts
Former race-car driver Thomas Youk suffered from Lou Gehrig’s disease. Youk was confined to a wheelchair, was fed through a tube, and could not breathe without a respirator. On September 15, 1998, Dr. Jack Kevorkian (defendant) went to Youk’s home to discuss Youk’s condition and Youk’s wish to die. Kevorkian videotaped the interview. Kevorkian told Youk that Youk needed to sign a form consenting to direct injection of a fatal drug. Kevorkian read the form to Youk. The form stated that Youk voluntarily and after deliberation consented to active euthanasia, involving direct injection of a drug to be administered by a medical professional, to end Youk’s intolerable suffering. On September 16, Kevorkian returned and again videotaped his interaction with Youk. Youk stated that he wanted to “go through with it.” After connecting Youk to a cardiogram, Kevorkian injected Youk with a drug to put him to sleep and then injected him with potassium chloride to stop his heart. Youk died. Later, Kevorkian appeared as a guest on the television news show 60 Minutes. During the interview, both videotapes were shown. Kevorkian stated that what he had done “could never be a crime in any society which deems itself enlightened” and that the ultimate self-determination lay in determining “when and how you’re gonna die when you’re suffering.” Kevorkian was charged with murder. At a jury trial, Kevorkian asked the jury not to convict him of murder because he had committed a mercy killing. However, Kevorkian was convicted of second-degree murder and of delivering a controlled substance. Kevorkian was sentenced to a prison term of 10 to 20 years. Kevorkian appealed his conviction on constitutional grounds, arguing that euthanasia was legal.
Rule of Law
Issue
Holding and Reasoning (Whitbeck, J.)
What to do next…
Here's why 832,000 law students have relied on our case briefs:
- Written by law professors and practitioners, not other law students. 46,500 briefs, keyed to 994 casebooks. Top-notch customer support.
- The right amount of information, includes the facts, issues, rule of law, holding and reasoning, and any concurrences and dissents.
- Access in your classes, works on your mobile and tablet. Massive library of related video lessons and high quality multiple-choice questions.
- Easy to use, uniform format for every case brief. Written in plain English, not in legalese. Our briefs summarize and simplify; they don’t just repeat the court’s language.