Jack Kevorkian Hospitalized for Kidney Trouble

Do those not terminally ill have the right to die?

(NEWSER) - Many in America celebrate Jack Kevorkian as a humanitarian champion—but “the moral case for assisted suicide depends much more on our respect for people’s own desire to die than on our sympathy for their devastating medical conditions,” writes Ross Douthat in the New York Times . “It is not considered merciful to prescribe an overdose to a cancer victim against her will, or to gently smother a sleeping Alzheimer’s patient,” because they didn’t request it. To Kevorkian’s defenders, “free choice is what separates assisted suicide from murder.” More»

(NEWSER) - Ed McMahon has been hospitalized for almost a month with pneumonia, and was recently diagnosed with bone cancer, Entertainment Tonight reports. McMahon’s wife, Pam, has been with the sickly former Tonight Show sidekick, and her “deep faith is helping her through this difficult time,” a source said. McMahon, who is 85, is in the intensive-care unit of a Los Angeles hospital. More»

Reports of comedian's death untrue

(NEWSER) - Comedian Bernie Mac is in “very, very critical” condition and in a Chicago hospital being treated for pneumonia, a family friend told the Chicago Sun-Times. But the 50-year-old’s publicist called reports of his death "a very horrible rumor" and said he'll be released soon. More»

Assisted suicide advocate vows to tout individual rights

(NEWSER) - Euthanasia advocate Jack Kevorkian declared a bid for Congress in Detroit today, the Detroit Free Press reports. In a free-wheeling press conference, he admitted to being apolitical but vowed to trumpet individual rights in his campaign. “You can’t take my innate rights away from me without a fight,” said Kevorkian, who will run as an independent in a highly competitive district. More»