Kevorkian Trial Renews Debate over Euthanasia

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AS Michigan state attorneys prepare again today to prosecute accused suicide accomplice Jack Kevorkian, a quiet but far-reaching debate is unfolding in American homes and hospitals over the ethics of physician-assisted suicide.

Both opponents and advocates in the larger debate are highly critical of Dr. Kevorkian and his methods in helping 27 people kill themselves since 1990. Without the publicity surrounding Kevorkian, however, they say today's discussion might not be as widespread.

"{Kevorkian} is a terrible bedfellow, even if you are for it," says Prof. Ezekiel Emanuel, a medical ethicist at Harvard University. "On the other hand, he has raised the issue and I …