Kevorkian hospitalized for hernia operation
The Daily Oakland Press (Oakland County, Michigan)
Friday, February 4, 2005
JACKSON – Assisted suicide advocate Jack Kevorkian is expected to
undergo surgery today to repair a bilateral hernia, his lawyer said.
Mayer Morganroth said Kevorkian, 76, was taken to a hospital in Jackson
for treatment Thursday.
“It’s very painful,” Morganroth said. “But it, by itself, should not be
life-threatening. I think he’ll be OK. These types of things get harder
as he gets older, though.”
Kevorkian’s health is failing, Morganroth said, and he doesn’t expect
his client to live more than a year. Kevorkian has suffered from high
blood pressure, hepatitis C, a circulation condition and dental problems
in prison.
Leo LaLonde, spokesman for the Michigan Department of Corrections, said
there is a secure unit at the hospital for prisoners. Kevorkian will be
under constant guard while there and will likely be sent back to prison
shortly after the surgery to recover in the Thumb Correctional
Facility’s clinic.
The state will pay for the treatment, LaLonde said, but can seek
reimbursement from prisoners who have assets. LaLonde would not comment
on how much the surgery will cost or about Kevorkian’s medical
condition, citing federal privacy rules.
Morganroth said Kevorkian has been trying to get Gov. Jennifer Granholm
to pardon him or commute his sentence based on his medical condition,
but that request has been denied. Granholm has granted four medical
commutations since taking office.
The Michigan Parole Board recently denied Kevorkian’s request for
parole. He is eligible again in November, Morganroth said.
Kevorkian is serving a 10- to 25-year prison term for second-degree
murder in the 1998 death of a Waterford Township man, 52-year-old Thomas
Youk.
Kevorkian videotaped the death of Youk, who had Lou Gehrig’s disease.
The CBS news show 60 Minutes broadcast the euthanasia and Oakland County
prosecutors charged Kevorkian. Kevorkian has claimed to have assisted in
more than 130 suicides.