CHRONOLOGY OF EVENTS RELATED TO ASSISTED SUICIDE

1937:  The National Society for the Legalization of Euthanasia (NSLE) was founded in the United States.

January 16, 1938:  The NSLE re-organizes as the Euthanasia Society of America. (ESA)

February 14, 1939: ESA treasurer, Charles Nixdorff, is quoted in a New York Times article that ESA "hoped eventually to legalize the putting to death of non-volunteers beyond the help of medical science." 

1967:  ESA forms a tax-exempt division called the Euthanasia Education Fund.

1968: Living Wills are introduced by EEF attorney Louis Kutner in an Indiana Law Journal article titled: "Due Process of Euthanasia: The Living Will, a Proposal."

1972: Euthanasia Education Fund changes its name to the Euthanasia Education Council.

1974: Euthanasia Society of America changes its name to the Society for the Right to Die.

1975: California enacts the first Living Will law in the country.

1975: Derek Humphry authors a book titled, Jean's Way in which he describes how he assisted in his wife's suicide by mixing a concoction of drugs for her to drink.

1979: The Euthanasia Education Council changes its name to Concern for Dying.

1980: After moving to the U.S. from England, Derek and Ann Humphry found the Hemlock Society, an organization committed to the legalization of assisted suicide and euthanasia.

May 15, 1988: The California-based Americans Against Human Suffering, a Hemlock Society spinoff group, fails to qualify the  Humane and Dignified Death Act (HDDA) for the November 1988 ballot in California. The HDDA was the first attempt in the U.S. to legalize assisted suicide and euthanasia by voter approval.

December 1988: Right to Life of Michigan develops a model antiassisted suicide law should one be needed.

January 1990: The Hemlock Society Quarterly publishes an article indicating that assisted suicide may be legal in Michigan. The article specifically mentions Jack Kevorkian.

February 8, 1990:  Internal strife within the Hemlock Society emerges as it is revealed that Derek Humphry abandoned his second wife, Ann, after she was diagnosed with breast cancer.  Humphry's first wife also had breast cancer. 

June 4, 1990: Kevorkian assists Janet Adkins, 54, of Oregon in suicide.  Adkins died in Kevorkian's van by an intravenous infusion of drugs.  Adkins was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease.

June 8, 1990: Judge Alice Gilbert issues a preliminary injunction barring Kevorkian from further use of his suicide machine.

June 1990: Rep. Ciaramitaro and Sen. Dillingham introduce legislation to criminalize assisted suicide in Michigan.

August 18, 1990: Bertram and Virginia Harper of California come to Michigan under the belief that assisted suicide is legal.  Mrs. Harper dies in a suicide/homicide incident.  Mr. Harper is charged with murder.  Mrs. Harper was diagnosed with cancer.

December 3, 1990: Kevorkian is charged with murder in the death of Janet Adkins.

December 13, 1990: Murder charges in the Adkins case against Kevorkian are dismissed by Judge McNally.

Winter 1990/1991:  The Society for the Right to Die and Concern for Dying begin a merging process, combining the two groups under the name, Choice in Dying, Inc.

January 2, 1991:  Washington Citizens for Death with Dignity indicate they have collected some 212,000 signatures on a initiative petition to place a Death with Dignity Act on the Washington ballot.  The initiative would legalize assisted suicide and euthanasia.

January 31, 1991: Michigan Legislators reintroduce antisuicide legislation, H.B. 4038 and S.B. 32.

February 5, 1991: An injunction against Kevorkian preventing use of his suicide machine is made permanent by Judge Gilbert.

March 7, 1991:  Dr. Timothy Quill publishes an article in the New England Journal of Medicine revealing how he assisted in the death of one of his patients by prescribing for her a lethal dose of medication. A medical board of inquiry examining the case refused to issue any sanctions against Quill.

March 14, 1991: Washington Citizens for Death with Dignity submit 223,000 signatures for their ballot initiative, which is later designated as Initiative 119 for the November election.

March 19, 1991: Michigan Senate passes S.B. 32 anti-suicide legislation, by a vote of 268.

May 10, 1991: Bertram Harper acquitted of second degree murder.

August 17, 1991: Derek Humphry's how to suicide manual, Final Exit, becomes a No. 1 best-seller on the New York Times category of advice books.

September 10, 1991: The Dutch Remmelink Commission issues its report showing thousands of Dutch patients being killed by their physicians without ever requesting death.

October 2, 1991: Ann Humphry, 49, estranged wife of Derek Humphry, commits suicide.  In her suicide note she states that Derek's first wife Jean actually died from Derek suffocating her rather than from the drugs she ingested.

October 23, 1991: Kevorkian assists two nonterminally ill women in suicide, Marjorie Wantz, 58, and Sherry Miller, 43.  The women died in a cabin at a state park.  Wantz died from intravenous drugs, Miller died by inhaling carbon monoxide.  Wantz was alleged to have pelvic pain, Miller had multiple sclerosis.

October 24, 1991: Michigan Rep. Perry Bullard appoints a three member Judiciary subcommittee on assisted suicide. (No prolife members named)

October 29, 1991: Two additional subcommittee members are appointed. (Both prolife)

November 5, 1991:  By a vote of 54% to 46%, the citizens of Washington reject Initiative 119.

November 9, 1991: Subcommittee on Death and Dying holds an organizational meeting, determines that hearings should begin promptly.

November 20, 1991: Michigan State medical board votes unanimously to suspend Kevorkian's medical license.

December 19, 1991: Oakland County Prosecutor Richard Thompson asks a grand jury to determine if there is a basis for charging Kevorkian in the WantzMiller case.

December 1991  March 20, 1992: House Subcommittee on Death and Dying holds public hearings in Lansing, Grand Rapids, Traverse City, and Oak Park.

January 30, 1992: The American Bar Association's House of Delegates rejects a resolution endorsing the enactment of statutes to legalize "voluntary aid-in-dying" for the terminally ill.

February 3, 1992: An Oakland County grand jury indicts Kevorkian on two counts of open murder.

February 12, 1992:  Hemlock Society founder, Derek Humphry announces his resignation as Hemlock's executive director.

February 28, 1992: Judge Sheehy binds Kevorkian for trial based on the grand jury indictment.

March 7, 1992:  The Australian government cites the Federal Censorship & Customs legislation as its authority in banning the importation of Derek Humphry's suicide manual, Final Exit.

March 1992:  Californians Against Human Suffering announces that it has collected enough signatures to place a Death with Dignity Act on the November 1992 ballot.  The initiative was titled Proposition 161 and was very similar to the failed Washington Initiative 119.

April 1992:  Sidney Rosoff, former president and executive director of the Society for the Right to Die becomes president of the Hemlock Society.

May 15, 1992: Kevorkian assists 52 year old Susan Williams in  suicide at her Clawson, MI home.  Williams died by inhaling carbon monoxide allegedly supplied by Kevorkian.  Williams had multiple sclerosis.

July 21, 1992: Oakland County Circuit Judge David Breck dismisses murder charges against Kevorkian in the WantzMiller case.  Breck declares that there is no law against assisted suicide and that patients have a right to request such assistance.

July 23, 1992: Michigan House Speaker Lewis Dodak sets a September deadline for the Subcommittee to issue a recommendation.

September 26, 1992: Kevorkian assists Lois Hawes, 52, of Warren in committing suicide.  Hawes died by inhaling carbon monoxide allegedly supplied by Kevorkian.  Hawes had lung cancer.

November 3, 1992:  California voters reject Proposition 161 to legalize euthanasia and assisted suicide by a vote of 54% to 46%.

November 3, 1992:  California voters reject Proposition 161 to legalize euthanasia and assisted suicide by a vote of 54% to 46%.

November 12, 1992: The House Judiciary Committee reports out only H.B. 4501.  No action was taken on either H.B. 5415 or S.B. 32.

November 23, 1992: Kevorkian assists Catherine Andreyev, 46, of Moon Township Pennsylvania in committing suicide.  Andreyev, who died by inhaling carbon monoxide, had cancer.

November 24, 1992: By a vote of 7229, the Michigan House passes H.B. 4501 establishing a commission to study assisted suicide.  An amendment to the bill also creates a felony charge for persons who assist in a suicide.

December 3, 1992: The Michigan Senate passes H.B. 4501 by a vote of 246.

December 15, 1992: Kevorkian assists in the suicides of Marguerite Tate, 70, and Marcella Lawrence, 67.  Both women died in Tate's Auburn Hills home by inhaling carbon monoxide supplied by Kevorkian.  Tate had  Lou Gehrig's disease,  Lawrence had arthritis, emphysema, and a heart condition.  Hours after the TateLawrence suicides, Governor John Engler signs H.B. 4501 (Public Act 270 of 1992) prohibiting assisted suicide which will not take effect until March 30, 1993.

January 20, 1993: Kevorkian assists in the suicide of 53 year old Jack Miller.  Miller, of Huron Twp, was diagnosed with bone cancer and died by inhaling carbon monoxide.

February 4, 1993: Kevorkian assists in the deaths of Stanley Ball, 82, and Mary Biernat, 73.  Both died in Ball's Leland, MI home by inhaling carbon monoxide.  Ball had pancreatic cancer; Biernat, from Crown Point, Indiana, had breast cancer.

February 9, 1993: The lower House of the Dutch Parliament approves a bill to exempt doctors from euthanasia prosecutions if they follow the "carefulness requirements" prescribed in the bill.  Technically, assisted suicide and euthanasia remained illegal.

February 11, 1993: The Michigan Senate approves Senate Bill 211 by a vote of 331.  S.B. 211 provides technical amendments to the law banning assisted suicide to exempt nonlicensed care givers who provide pain medications under a hospice program.

The same day, the Dutch Justice Ministry proposed euthanasia guidelines for the killing of patients without a specific patient request (i.e. involuntary and nonvoluntary euthanasia).

February 15, 1993: Kevorkian assists in the suicide of Hugh Gale, 70, in Gale's Roseville, MI home.  Gale had emphysema and heart disease, he died by inhaling carbon monoxide.

February 18, 1993: Kevorkian assists in the suicide of two Californians, Jonathon Grenz, 44 of Costa Mesa, and Martha Ruwart, 41, of CardiffbytheSea.  Both had  cancer and died by carbon monoxide in the home of Kevorkian assistant Neal Nicols.

February 23, 1993: The Michigan House Judiciary Committee reports S.B. 211 to the House floor without amendments.

February 25, 1993: The Michigan House passes S.B. 211 [92-10] to move the effective date of the suicide ban to February 25, with the Senate concurring 286 that afternoon.  Gov. Engler signed the bill at 5:00 p.m., giving the law immediate effect,  (PA 3).  Later in the evening, Oakland and Macomb county prosecutors executed search warrants on the homes of Jack Kevorkian and Hugh Gale.  Evidence presented to the prosecutors indicated that Mr. Gale may have expressed a desire for his suicide attempt to be stopped.

March 1, 1993: The American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit in Wayne County Circuit Court on behalf of Michigan cancer patients and health professionals, challenging the constitutionality of the ban on assisted suicide.

May 16, 1993: Kevorkian assisted in the suicide of Ronald Mansur, 54, of Southfield, MI.  He was diagnosed with bone and lung cancer. He died from carbon monoxide poisoning.

May 20, 1993: Wayne County Circuit Court Cynthia Stephens struck down the Michigan law banning assisted suicide saying that it was unconstitutional.

June 22, 1993: Michigan Court of Appeals voted 21 to stay Judge Cynthia Stephens' ruling, thus reinstating the ban on assisted suicide.

July, 30, 1993:  The Michigan Commission on Death and Dying held its first meeting.  The Commission was established under PA 270 along with the assisted suicide ban to ensure that physicians were properly trained and equipped to adequately treat patient's pain as well as address other concerns of dying patients.

August 4, 1993:  Kevorkian assisted in the suicide of Thomas  Hyde, 30, of Novi.  He had Lou Gerhig's disease.  The death occurred on Belle Isle, in Kevorkian's van, by means of carbon monoxide poisoning.

August 17, 1993:  Kevorkian was charged with the assisting of  the suicide of Thomas Hyde.  He was released on $100,000 bond, and scheduled for a preliminary hearing on August 27, 1993.

August 27, 1993:  Judge Lipscomb delayed ruling on Kevorkian's arraignment, in the Hyde case by one week.  Date set for September 9, 1993.

September 9, 1993:  Judge Lipscomb ordered Kevorkian to stand trial for assisting in the suicide of Thomas Hyde.  Kevorkian remained free on bond.  Hours after Kevorkian was bound over for trial he assisted in another suicide.  Donald O'Keefe, 73, of Redford Twp., a bone cancer patient in the early stages of the disease.  He died by inhaling carbon monoxide.

September 21, 1993:  Judge Karen Khalil heard motions from Kevorkian's attorney, regarding the ban's constitutionality, which she took under advisement.  Additional arguments were scheduled for September 28.                                     

September 28, 1993:  Additional arguments were heard, no decision rendered. 

September 30, 1993:  The Canadian Supreme Court rules by a 5-4 decision that there is not a right to assisted suicide protected by the Canadian constitution. The case was brought by Sue Rodriguez, 43, of British Columbia, Canada, who had Lou Gehrig's disease and was requesting legal immunity for her physician and others who might assist in her intentional death.

October 11, 1993:  Judge Khalil orders Kevorkian to stand trial on a charge of assisted suicide.  Kevorkian was freed on bond.

October 22, 1993:  Kevorkian assisted in the death of Merian Fredricks, 72, of Ann Arbor, MI.  The suicide took place in Kevorkian's apartment.  Ms. Fredricks had Lou Gehrig's Disease and died by inhaling carbon monoxide.

October 24, 1993: Robert Latimer, Saskatchewan, Canada, called the police to say that his 12 year old daughter had passed away in her sleep.  She had cerebral palsy.  The coroner's autopsy revealed a high level of carbon monoxide in her blood.  

October 26, 1993:  Kevorkian's attorney, Geoffrey Fieger, offered Wayne County Circuit Court Judge Richard Kaufman, a plea bargain.  Kevorkian will plead no contest to two counts of assisted suicide if: 1)  The Hyde and O'Keefe cases are heard by Judge Kaufman, 2) the judge makes a ruling as to the constitutionality of the assisted suicide law, and 3) if the law is found unconstitutional, the pleas will be moot, if not, they can withdraw the pleas.  Judge Kaufman delayed ruling so he could have time to review the proposal.   

November 4, 1993: Mr. Robert Latimer of Canada was arrested for the murder of his daughter. 

November 5, 1993: Recorder's court Judge Thomas Jackson raises Kevorkian's bond to $20,000.  Refusing to post bail, Kevorkian is jailed and begins a "hunger strike."

November 8, 1993: Sterling Heights attorney John DeMoss posted 10 % of the $20,000 bail on Kevorkian's behalf.  Kevorkian was then released.

November 16, 1993: With both the prosecutor's office and Judge Kaufman rejecting the plea bargain offer of October 26, Kaufman heard arguments regarding the constitutionality of the statute banning assisted suicide.

November 22, 1993: Kevorkian assisted in the death of Dr. Ali Khalili, 61, of Oak Brook, Illinois.  Dr. Khalili was diagnosed with bone cancer and died by carbon monoxide poisoning in Kevorkian's apartment in Royal Oak.         

Also on that day, the upper house of the Dutch Parliament followed the lower house in approving the bill allowing physicians to perform euthanasia if they follow the "carefulness requirements."  Penal codes prohibiting euthanasia and assisted suicide remain in force.  Only the coroner's law regarding investigations into deaths was amended.                            

November 30, 1993: Kevorkian surrendered to Royal Oak police at 8:40 am, after being charged with the October suicide of Merian Fredricks.  Later in the day he was arraigned with bond  set at $50,000 to be paid in full.  Kevorkian refused to pay the bond and was taken to jail.

December 1, 1993:  Kevorkian follows through with his threat to go on a hunger strike, by refusing all food.  He would only accept water, juice and vitamins.

December 13, 1993:  Judge Richard Kaufman rules that there is a constitutional right to "rational" suicide, therefore the Michigan ban on assisted suicide is unconstitutional.

December 14, 1993: The Oregon Right to Die organization files their "citizen initiated Death with Dignity Act" (DWDA) to be placed on the November 1994 ballot in Oregon.

December 17, 1993: Kevorkian is released from jail after  Oakland County Judge Jessica Cooper reduced his bond to $100, which his supporters posted.  He was placed under house arrest.  He vowed to work within the system and not assist in any more suicides.  Kevorkian announced plans to spearhead a petition drive to get the issue on the November 1994 ballot.

January 3, 1994: Oakland County Prosecutor Richard Thompson charges Kevorkian with assisting in the death of Dr. Khalili.

January 5, 1994: Kevorkian was arraigned on the Oakland County charge and $100 bond was set.  It was paid by his supporters and he was released.

January 6, 1994:  The Michigan Court of Appeals heard oral arguments in the ACLU challenge and two criminal cases involving Kevorkian.

January 28, 1994:  Kevorkian was released from house arrest after Judge Jessica Cooper declared the assisted suicide law void.  She said the Legislature's passage of the law violated constitutional rules governing enactment of laws.  (Single object provision)

January 29, 1994:  Compassion in Dying, a Washington state organization committed to assisting people in their suicides, files suit in federal court to have that state's ban on assisted suicide ruled unconstitutional. (Eventually known as Washington v. Glucksberg)

January 30, 1994: Jack Kevorkian addressed worshipers in St. Paul's Presbyterian Church, Livonia, to kick off his petition drive to amend the state constitution allowing assisted suicide.  More than 257,000 signatures are needed to place the amendment on the November 1994 ballot.

February 12, 1994:  Sue Rodriguez, of British Columbia, Canada, died from an apparent lethal injection from an unnamed physician.  Rodriguez had Lou Gehrig's disease and allegedly died in the arms of a Canadian Member of Parliament, Svend Robinson.

February 18, 1994:  Kevorkian was ordered to stand trial in the Thomas Hyde case.  Detroit Recorders Court Judge Thomas Jackson said he was not bound by the circuit judge's ruling which declared the law unconstitutional.

April 22, 1994:  During the Wayne County trial Kevorkian attorney, Geoffrey Fieger contended that Thomas Hyde's death did not take place in Wayne County, but in Oakland County.  He also appealed to the sympathy of the jurors, by trying to prove Kevorkian was relieving pain and not intending to kill Thomas Hyde.

April 29, 1994: Jurors began deliberations; after five hours they were adjourned for the weekend.

May 2, 1994: Jurors acquit Kevorkian of any wrongdoing in the Hyde case.  They concluded  his intent in using carbon monoxide gas was to relieve pain,  not to kill.

May 3, 1994: U.S. District Judge Barbara Rothstein strikes down Washington's ban on assisted suicide as unconstitutionally infringing on the rights of the terminally ill.  Rothstein cited the privacy rights and liberty interests referenced in the U.S. Supreme Court's decisions in Casey and Cruzan cases.

May 10, 1994:  The Michigan Court of Appeals, by a 2-1 vote, struck down the state's assisted suicide law on technical grounds.  The court ruled that Kevorkian cannot be tried under the assisted suicide law, but he can be tried under common law for murder.  The court ruled that there is no active law against committing suicide, while also ruling that there is no constitutional right to having assistance in committing suicide.

May 25, 1994:  The New York State Task Force on Life and the Law issued a unanimous report rejecting calls for the legalization of assisted suicide and euthanasia.  The Task Force focused heavily on the dangers legalized medical killing would have for the poor, elderly, minorities, and disabled.  Even members of the Task Force personally supportive of assisted suicide agreed that it should not be legalized.

June 6, 1994:  The Michigan Supreme Court agreed to hear appeals brought by all parties involved in the May 10 Court of Appeals decision.  Oral arguments were set for October 4, 1994.

June 8, 1994:  The Michigan Commission on Death and Dying held its last meeting to approve its final report on the recommendations to the Legislature regarding an assisted suicide law.  The report had four main components: (1) a consensus report on issues which the Commission agreed; (2) a report decriminalizing "Aid-in-Dying"; (3) a report offering procedural safeguards for legalization; (4) and a report opposing legalization of assisted suicide. Due to the ruling of the court striking down the law which created the Commission, the report was not officially presented to the Legislature.

June 21, 1994:  The Dutch Supreme Court upheld the acquittal of Dr. Boudewijn Chabot, who had provided 50 year-old Hilly Bosscher with lethal medications for her suicide.  Bosscher had no physical illness, but had been suffering from chronic depression and emotional distress. 

July 4, 1994: Jack Kevorkian announces that the petition drive to place a constitutional amendment regarding euthanasia on the ballot failed to obtain enough signatures.

October 4, 1994:  Oral arguments in four cases regarding assisted suicide are heard in the Michigan Supreme Court.

November 8, 1994: Oregon narrowly approved the Death with Dignity Act by a vote of 51% to 49%.

November 16, 1994: Robert Latimer of Canada was convicted of second degree murder of his daughter.  He was sentenced to life in prison, eligible for parole in 10 years.  He is out on bail pending appeal.

November 25, 1994:  Section 7 of P.A. 270 (ban on assisted suicide) repeals itself. 

November 26, 1994:  Kevorkian claims to attend the 21st suicide since 1990.  Margaret Garish, 70, of Royal Oak, died by carbon monoxide poisoning.  Ms. Garish had severe rheumatoid arthritis and diabetes.  In this case, Kevorkian was not present when authorities arrived, nor was the mechanism or device by which she allegedly committed suicide present.

November 29, 1994:  Legislation to re-enact a ban on assisted suicide is introduced into the Senate by Sen. Fred Dillingham (S.B. 1311) and into the House by Reps. Joe Palamara and Ken Sikkema (H.B. 5968).  Rep. Lynn Jondahl  introduces H.B. 5966 to legalize assisted suicide and euthanasia ("Aid-in-Dying").

On the same day, the U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit heard arguments in the Washington State case.

December 7, 1994: The Michigan Senate passes S.B.1311 without amendment by a vote of 26-9.

December 13, 1994:  The Michigan Supreme Court ruled that assisting in a suicide is a common law felony, and that there is not a protected right to suicide assistance under the constitution.  The Michigan Legislature failed in an all-night session to pass a new ban on assisted suicide.

December 16, 1994:  U.S. District Court Judge Thomas Griesa ruled that New York state's law banning assisted suicide was constitutional.  The case was identical to that brought by Compassion in Dying in Washington State.  Dr. Timothy Quill was among the plaintiffs to bring the suit. (Vacco v. Quill)

December 27, 1994: U.S. District Michael Judge Hogan issues a preliminary injunction indefinitely halting Oregon's DWDA after a week-long hearing.

January 10, 1995:  Derek Humphry and John Hofess, executive director of the Right to Die Society of Canada, launch DeathNet, a website on the Internet dedicated expressly to assisted suicide and euthanasia issues.

March 3, 1995:  Jack Kevorkian and the ACLU appeal the Michigan Supreme Court decision to the U.S. Supreme Court.

March 9, 1995: U.S. Court of Appeals Ninth Circuit, by a 2-1 vote reverses Judge Rothstein's decision, finding no constitutionally protected right to assisted suicide, and reinstating Washington's ban.

March 28, 1995: Yokahama District Court Judge Shigen Matsuura issued a 2 year suspended sentence to Dr. Masahito Tokunaga, a 38 year-old physician found guilty in April 1991 of murdering a cancer patient with a lethal injection of potassium chloride.  Judge Matsuura's opinion included a list of guidelines for physicians to follow in order to avoid prosecution.

April 24, 1995:  The U.S. Supreme Court refuses to hear Kevorkian and the ACLU appeals.

April 26, 1995: A Dutch court issued no punishment for Dr. Hank Prins despite finding him guilty of murder in the death of a newborn girl to whom he gave a lethal injection of medication.  The court found that Prins had a choice between two "irreconcilable obligations" -- preserving the child's life or ending her suffering.  Two weeks earlier (4/13/95) the prosecutor had urged the court to find Prins guilty but assess no punishment.

May 1, 1995:  Kevorkian's attorney Geoffrey Fieger announced he will file a petition in federal court to block pending prosecutions in Oakland Co. under the common law.

May 8, 1995:  Kevorkian attends his 22nd assisted suicide.  Rev. John Evans, 78, of Royal Oak, MI, died of carbon monoxide poisoning.  He was diagnosed with a lung disease. 

May 12, 1995: Kevorkian attended his 23rd suicide.  Nicholas John Loving, 27 of Phoenix, AZ. died of carbon monoxide poisoning.  He had ALS/Lou Gehrig's Disease.  Loving was found in the back of Kevorkian's van parked in the lot of the sheriff's department in Oakland Co.

May 12, 1995: The Michigan Court of Appeals upheld a lower court's 1991 civil injunction permanently barring Kevorkian from assisting in suicides.

May 25, 1995: The 25 member Parliament of Australia's remote Northern Territory voted to legalize "voluntary"  suicide, by a vote of 15-10.

June 6, 1995: After a lengthy hearings process,  a Canadian Senate committee recommended that assisted suicide and euthanasia remain illegal, but that severe penalties for some euthanasia cases be lessened.

June 26, 1995:  Kevorkian opened his "Mercy Clinic"/"Obitorium".  His first patient (24th assisted suicide) was Erika Garcellano of Kansas City, MO., 60 years old.  She had Lou Gehrig's disease. Her cause of death was carbon monoxide poisoning.  Kevorkian rented an old hardware store building to house his "clinic".

June 27, 1995:  The owners of the building Kevorkian rented told him to vacate the premises, and gave him 30 days.  They said they were misled as to the purpose of his use of the building.  Kevorkian moved out immediately.

August 3, 1995:  Judge Hogan permanently enjoins Oregon's DWDA, issuing an opinion that the law unconstitutionally fails to provide equal protection of the law for terminally ill persons.

August 21, 1995:  Kevorkian assists in the suicide of Esther Cohan, 46, of Skokie, Ill.   Cohan had multiple sclerosis and died of carbon monoxide poisoning.  Cohan's body was left in the back seat of a car apparently owned by Kevorkian and parked in the physician's parking lot of an Oakland County hospital.

September 1995:  The Hemlock Society of Northern California becomes the 7th of 87 national Hemlock chapters to expand their support of euthanasia to include non-terminal patients.

October 26, 1995:  A full panel (en banc) of the federal Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals re-hears arguments in the Compassion in Dying case, challenging the constitutionality of Washington state's assisted suicide ban.

October 30, 1995: Jack Kevorkian is joined by six other physicians to form the group "Physicians for Mercy."

November 8, 1995:  Kevorkian assists in the suicide of Patricia Cashman, 58, of San Marcos,CA.  Her body was left in the same car as Esther Cohan's and parked outside the office of the Oakland County morgue.  Cashman allegedly had breast cancer that had spread throughout her body.  The autopsy revealed no cancer in any major organs and only microscopic traces elsewhere in her body.  Evidence indicated that the intravenous "suicide machine" Kevorkian used in the past may have been used again in this case.

December 4, 1995:  Kevorkian's Physician's for Mercy group releases its guidelines for "patholysis" -- the procedure which patients would follow in order to receive lethal assistance from one of the "obitiatrists" in Physicians for Mercy.  It is also announced that Kevorkian will receive a $20,000 award from the Sovereign Fund, a foundation established by California millionaire Kurt Simon dedicated to promoting individual freedom.  Kevorkian indicates that he will use the funds to establish his next mercy clinic.

January 29, 1996:  Kevorkian assists in the suicide of Linda Henslee.  The 48 year old woman from Beloit, WI had multiple sclerosis and died from inhaling carbon monoxide.  Her body was found in Kevorkian's van parked outside the Oakland Co. Medical Examiner's Office.

February 12, 1996: Trial begins for Jack Kevorkian for the 1993 deaths of Merian Fredricks and Dr. Ali Khalili.

February 20, 1996:  The Parliament of the Northern Territory of Australia passed a bill providing necessary enacting amendments to the original bill legalizing "voluntary assisted suicide."   The amendments were necessary to ensure the law could be implemented.  An effort to repeal the original law was defeated by pro-euthanasia votes in the parliament.  The "Rights of the Terminally Ill Act" is the only euthanasia measure in the world ever passed by a parliment.

March 6, 1996: The federal 9th Circuit Court of Appeals strikes down Washington state's assisted suicide ban.  The court invented a new constitutional right to lethal assistance for terminally ill persons.  The decision also indicated that the Oregon Measure 16 should be considered constitutional.

March 8, 1996: The jury in the Kevorkian trial find him not guilty of assisting in suicides.  The jury used an exemption in the law for doctors using medications to relieve pain as its basis for acquittal.  They claimed Kevorkian was only relieving suffering, not trying to cause death.

April 1, 1996: The third assisted suicide trial of Jack Kevorkian begins in the cases of Sharon Miller and Marjorie Wanz.  Kevorkian showed up wearing Colonial-era clothing to show how medieval the charges were.

April 3, 1996:  The U. S. 2nd  Court of Appeals struck down the New York assisted suicide ban. The court ruled that it violates the equal-protection clause of the 14th Amendment to allow some terminally ill adults to hasten their deaths by directing the removal of life-support systems, but to prohibit other terminally ill adults from seeking and taking lethal doses of drugs prescribed by a doctor.

April 18, 1996:  Judge Breck allows an angry Kevorkian to leave midway through the second day of the trial, but told him to return to testify.  The jurors were not present, but were told that Kevorkian voluntarily excused himself from the trial.

May 6, 1996: Near the close of his second trial, Kevorkian attended the suicide of Austin Bastable, 53, of Ontario, Canada.  He had multiple sclerosis.  The assisted suicide took place in the home of Janet Good, former president of Hemlock of Michigan, four other physicians were present.  Carbon monoxide was the cause of death.

May 14, 1996: The jury acquitted Kevorkian of assisted suicide charges, after three days of deliberations.  They believed his intent was to relieve the suffering not to kill the person.

June 13, 1996:  Kevorkian was  present at  the death of Ruth Neuman, 69, from Columbus NJ.  She died from carbon monoxide poisoning, she was wheeled into a Ponitac hospital by her son.  She was partially paralyzed from a stroke, three years prior, and had also battled uterine cancer.  The Oakland Co Medical Examiner said there was nothing in her body which indicated a terminal illness, although she was not a healthy woman.

June 19, 1996:   The body of Lona Jones, 58, of Chester,VA  was wheeled into a hospital by her husband.  Kevorkian's attorney said Kevorkian and other doctors attended the suicide, but would not say who or where it took place.  She had been treated for brain cancer.  She died of carbon monoxide poisoning.

June 20, 1996:  The body of Betty Lou Hamilton, 67, of Columbus, OH, was taken to a Pontiac hospital by her friend and Kevorkian lawyer Geoffrey Fieger.  She had a disease called syringomyelia.  She died of carbon monoxide poisoning.

July 4, 1996:  Kevorkian attended the death of Shirley Cline, 63, of Oceanside, Calif.  She had bowel cancer, and died from an intravenous injection.  She was the 32nd assisted suicide.

July 10, 1996:  The body of Rebecca Badger, 37, of California, was brought to a Pontiac hospital by Jack Kevorkian.  She was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. Cause of death was intravenous injection, she was the 33rd assisted suicide.

August 6, 1996:  Elizabeth Mercz, 59, of Cincinnati, Ohio.  Diagnosed with ALS-Lou Gehrig's  disease.  She died from an  intravenous injection, and was the 34th assisted suicide.

August 15, 1996:  Judith Curren, 42, of Pembrook, Mass.  Diagnosed with a combination of fibromyalgia & chronic fatigue and immune dysfunction syndrome.  There were allegations of spousal abuse, and psychiatric problems.  The Medical examiner found no physical disease, only obesity. She died from an intravenous injection and was the 35th assisted suicide.

August 20, 1996: Louise Siebens, 76, of McKinney, Texas was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig's disease. The medical examiner said she died from an injection of deadly chemicals and became the 36th assisted suicide.

August 22, 1996:  Patricia Smith, 40, was from Lees Summitt, MO.  She was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, and died from an intravenous injection; The 37th assisted suicide.

August 22, 1996:  Pat DiGangi, 66 of East Northport, Long Island, NY was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and kidney cancer.  He died from intravenous injection and became the 38th assisted suicide.

September 2, 1996:  Jack Leatherman, 73, of Knoxville, Tennessee was Diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in May, 96.  He died from an intravenous injection; the 39th assisted suicide.

September 7, 1996:  Kevorkian attended the death of Isabel Correa, 60, of  Fresno, CA.  She had a spinal disorder.  The previous day police interrupted a meeting between Kevorkian and Correa in a motel room, confiscating the "suicide machine" and video tapes.

September 9, 1996: A bill was introduced in Australia's Parliament House of Representatives which would repeal the Northern Territory euthanasia law.  The bill would make it impermissible for the Australian Territories to enact laws allowing euthanasia of assisted suicide.

September 13, 1996:  Federal Judge Consuelo Marshall, in Los Angeles, struck down California's ban on assisted suicide, relying on a landmark appeals court ruling that terminally ill patients have a right under the federal Constitution to decide when and how to die.  But she also held that there is no such right under the state's constitution.

September 22, 1996:  Robert Dent, an Australian man with prostate cancer is the first to die under the Northern Territory law permitting voluntary euthanasia.  He died by lethal injection triggered by an intravenous line hooked up to a computer, developed by Dr. Philip Nitschke.

September 26,1996: An Ohio man was arrested outside Attorney Geoffrey Fieger's office building, he apparently was looking for Jack Kevorkian.  He had guns and ammunition in his car.

September 26, 1996: Oakland Co Prosecutor Richard Thompson, filed pleadings listing charges Kevorkian could face as a result of a Sept. 6 raid on Isabel Correa's motel room. 

September 28, 1996: Congressmen in Washington, DC introduced legislation that would ensure that federal funds are not used to pay for assisted suicides. 

September 29, 1996: Kevorkian attends 41st assisted suicide, Dr. Richard Faw, 71, Wilson, North Carolina.  He was diagnosed with colon cancer.

October 1, 1996: The U. S. Supreme Court agreed to review the assisted suicide cases of Washington v. Glucksberg and Quill v. Vacco.

October 11, 1996: Kevorkian attended 42nd assisted suicide.  Wallace Spolar, 70, of El Paso, Texas.  He was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.

October 15, 1996:  The U.S. Supreme Court let stand without comment a 1991 Michigan court order that bars Kevorkian from helping people commit suicide.

October 16, 1996: Kevorkian was questioned by police outside a motel room.  He was apparently counseling a woman from out of state. 

October 17, 1996:  While Fieger was at a press conference claiming that the woman Kevorkian was meeting with the night before, was only here to talk with Kevorkian, Kevorkian was dropping off her body at a local hospital.  Nancy Desoto, 55, of Bourbonnais, Ill. was the 43rd assisted suicide.  She had Lou Gehrig's disease.

October 23, 1996:  Kevorkian dropped off the body of Barbara Collins of Falmouth, Mass.; his 44th assisted suicide.  She was 65, and had ovarian cancer, cause of death was lethal injection.

October 27, 1996: The Liberal Party of Canada, at their convention in Ottawa, passed a resolution endorsing legalizing euthanasia.

October 31, 1996:  Oakland County Prosecutor Richard Thompson accused Jack Kevorkian of violating a 1991 injunction barring him from assisting in suicides.  He was charged with 19 counts stemming from 10 deaths between June 20 & Sept 7, 1996.  Neal Nicol and Dr. Redding were also charged with conspiring to assist and removing a body without the medical examiner's permission.

November 4, 1996: Kevorkian's attorneys confirmed that he did attend the suicide of Loretta Peabody of Ionia County. The death occurred in her home on 8/30/96.  The death certificate, signed by her physician, Dr. Poff, filed 4 days later said she died of natural causes.  Her body had been cremated, so there was no autopsy.  The Peabody suicide came to light after authorities viewed the video tape confiscated in the Sept. 6, hotel raid in Oakland Co. This brought Kevorkian's total to 45 deaths.

November  7, 1996:  Kevorkian was arraigned in Ionia County, for the assisted suicide of Loretta Peabody.  The indictment handed down by Ionia Co grand jury charged him with assisting a suicide, conspiring to assist a suicide, and also faces one count of practicing medicine without a license.

Also: Janet Good was charged in Ionia County for assisting with the suicide of Loretta Peabody. She was released on $10,000 personal bond.  Good has terminal pancreatic cancer, Ionia Co Prosecutor Voet said he would consider dropping the charges if presented with proof of her illness.

November 12, 1996: The Clinton administration filed briefs with the U. S. Supreme Court assisted suicide cases.  The administration took the position that states have the right to ban physician assisted suicide and has asked the Supreme Court to rule that terminally ill people have no constitutional right to doctor-assisted suicide.

November 15, 1996: The Australian High Court  adjourned the application for special leave to appeal from the decision of the Northern Territory Supreme Court upholding the Northern Territory's Rights of the Terminally Ill Act.  The Court said that it would not hear the matter while a bill was before the Federal Parliament to override the Territory's legislation.  If that bill is passed into law, there will be no NT law for the Court to rule on.  The Senate will not vote on the bill until its own committee study is completed, February 24, 1997.

December 9, 1996:  Australia's House of  Representatives, adopted a bill to set aside the Northern Territory's euthanasia law, which went into effect in July.  The national parliament can overturn laws in the territories, but not in its six states.

December 16, 1996: Dr. Ernesto Pinzon-Reyes of Highlands County, Florida has been charged with murder for giving a lethal injection of morphine and potassium chloride to a terminally ill patient in October.  He pled not guilty and consulted Kevorkian's Attorney Geoffrey Fieger.  The patient had not asked to die and the family did not want an assisted suicide.  The nurses refused to inject the dose of morphine, so the doctor did the injecting.

January 02, 1997: Janet Mills, 52, of  Australia is the second person to use the Northern Territory euthanasia law in Australia.  She was supervised by Dr. Phillip Nitschke, as she self-administered the drugs that killed her.  She had a rare form of skin cancer- mycosis fungoides.

January 11, 1997: Oakland Co Prosecutor Gorcyca dropped charges against Jack Kevorkian in the assisted suicide deaths of 10 people whom he assisted.  Prosecutor Gorcyca said that putting Kevorkian on trial would be a waste of time and money.

January 20, 1997: A 69 year old man became the third person to use the Northern Territory "Rights of the Terminally Ill Act".   The only detail released was that he had stomach cancer.

January 21, 1997:  Dutch justice Winnie Sordrager said that the government will no longer require that reported euthanasia cases be referred to public prosecutors; instead they will be reviewed by independent committees of "medical, legal and ethical experts," allowing for what Sordrager called " a more nuanced assessment" of whether euthanasia was justified.  Only cases they deem questionable will go to a prosecutor.

January 31, 1997:  Palm Beach, FL, Circuit Judge Joseph Davis ruled that a doctor can aid a man dying of AIDS to commit suicide and not be prosecuted.  He said his ruling only applies to Charles Hall, the last survivor of a lawsuit filed a year ago by three terminally ill patients .  Judge Davis ruled that Hall "has a constitutional right to decide to terminate his suffering and determine the time and manner of his death."  He also issued an order forbidding the Palm Beach County State Attorney from filing criminal charges against Hall's physician, Dr. Cecil McIver, or anyone else who helps in his suicide.

February 4, 1997: Shortly after midnight, the body of Lisa Lansing, 42, of Florham, NJ was brought to a Pontiac hospital by a friend.  Two hours later the body of Elaine Day, 79, of Santa Clarita, CA was found in the back of Kevorkian's van parked outside the medical examiners office.   Both women died by lethal injections.  Lansing had severe abdominal pain, Day is believed to have had Lou Gherig's disease, neither patient was terminal.

February 7, 1997: The Canadian Supreme Court has ordered a new trial for Robert Latimer (convicted of killing his 12 year old daughter in November 1993) because of a breach of procedure during the first trial.  The police had interviewed the prospective jurors privately, asking them questions regarding religion, abortion, and euthanasia.  Five of the them were picked for the jury.

February 27, 1997: The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit ruled 3-0 to dismiss the challenge to Oregon's law that allows physician assisted suicide for terminally ill patients.  Judge Melvin Brunetti wrote in the opinion, that those who brought the suit against the law cannot show they face an "immediate threat of harm."  

March 2 or 3, 1997: A 70 year old woman from Sydney, Australia, became the 4th person to use the Northern Territory's Assisted suicide law.  Dr Phillip Nitschke assisted her death by lethal injection.  Her family requested that no other details be given.

March 6,1997: The body of Helen Livengood, 59, of Richmond VA, was found in a Romulus, MI hotel room.  There was a note by the bed which said to call Geoffrey Fieger, her attorney.  Fieger rejected all requests to talk to Kevorkian or her family. She had chronic arthritis.

March 19, 1997: The body of Albert Buddy Miley, 43, of Warminster PA,  was found dead in a Livonia, MI motel.  There was a note in the room telling authorities to contact his attorney, Geoffrey Fieger.  Mr. Miley was a quadriplegic.

March 20, 1997:  U.S. House Commerce Committee approved a bill, HR 1003, that would prohibit assisted suicide payments for people on Medicare, Medicaid and other federal programs.  It passed 44-2.

March 24, 1997:  The body of Janette Knowles, 75, of Norfolk, Nebraska, was found at a motel, in Warren, MI.  A security guard checked the room after receiving an anonymous phone call.  A note left in the room gave instructions to call her attorney, Geoffrey Fieger.  She had Lou Gehrig's disease. 

March 25, 1997: Amsterdam, Netherlands, Dr. Shippe Schat was charged with murder in a patient's death.   Last April Dora Brattinga, 72 year old cancer patient died from a fatal dose of insulin.  Dr. Schat says that she requested the injection.  He did not follow any of the government-approved guidelines, such as a written request or a second opinion.  He faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted, the family and friends of the victim support his actions.  The three-judge panel should reach a verdict in two weeks.

March 25, 1997: Australia--Legislation to overturn the world's first euthanasia laws passed the Senate by a vote of 38-33, over riding the Northern Territory law.

April 4, 1997: Jack Kevorkian was issued a "cease and desist' order to stop holding himself out as a physician from the Michigan  Dept. of Consumer and Industry Services.  The department, which regulates physicians, said he had 30 days in which to challenge the order.  Kevorkian's response was to light the order with a cigarette lighter in front of news cameras.  The order only applies to future assisted suicides.

April 8, 1997: Dutch Dr. Shippe Schat was set free, with a six month suspended sentence for his violations of the euthanasia guidelines.

April 9, 1997: The body of Heidi Aseltine, 27 of Indianapolis, IN, was found in a motel room in Romulus, MI.  She had AIDS.  A note instructed police to contact her lawyer, Geoffrey Fieger.  Ms. Aseltine was a former resident of Holt, MI.

April 10, 1997: The U.S. House of Representatives approved the Assisted Suicide Funding Restriction Act H.R. 1003 by a vote of 398-16.

April 16, 1997: The U.S. Senate approved H. R. 1003 by a vote of 99-0.

April 23, 1997: The Family Law subcommittee of the Oregon state legislature approved H.B. 2954, a proposal to place Measure 16 back on the ballot.

April 27, 1997: The Oregon Medical Association's House of  Delagates voted to oppose Measure 16, reason being "the Measure is seriously flawed."

April 30, 1997: President Clinton signed the Assisted Suicide Funding Restriction Act into law.

May 04, 1997: The body of Delouise Bacher, 63, of Arvada, Co was found in a motel room in Michigan.  A note to contact her lawyer Geffrey Fieger was found.  She had multiple sclerosis.

May 13, 1997: Oregon's House of Representatives voted to repeal Ballot Measure 16, by a vote of 32-26.

June 09, 1997: The Oregon Senate voted 20-10 to give the voters a chance to repeal the state ballot Measure 16.  This is the first time in Oregon history that the legislature ordered a repeat election on an inititative that voters had already approved.

June 11, 1997: The trial of Jack Kevorkian began and ended in Ionia, MI.  Geoffrey Fieger, during his opening statements accused Prosecutor Ray Voet of a "witch hunt,"  he attempted to make the jury doubt the legitimacy of the ban on assisted suicide; and also made reference that the prosecutor and his assistant, Mike Modelski conspired to alter evidence.  

 Later in the day Judge Charles Miel declared a mistrial.

June 12, 1997: Ionia Prosecutor Ray Voet asked Judge Miel to declare a mistrial based on the fact the jury was now tainted because of the things Fieger's opening statement.

June 26, 1997: The U.S. Supreme Court ruled on the assisted suicide cases from New York and Washington state.  The judges unanimously ruled that their is no "constitutional right to assisted suicide."  The court left it up to individual states to pass laws regarding assisted suicide.

June 26, 1997: The body of Janis Murphy, 40, of Henderson, Nevada was found in a Southfield,  Michigan motel.  A note was found telling authorities to contact her lawyer, Geoffrey Fieger. 

July 2, 1997: The bodies of two women were found in Wayne and Macomb county motel rooms.  Dorinda Scheipsmeier, 51, of Oceanside, CA,  and Lynne Lennox, 54, of Lakewood, NJ, both had multiple sclerosis.  Notes were found directing police to contact Geoffrey Fieger, their attorney.

July 17, 1997: The Florida Supreme Court ruled that a person does not have the right to physician-assisted suicide under the Florida state constitution.  They overturned a lower court's ruling that a privacy provision in Florida's state constitution gives a right to physician-assisted suicide.

July 20, 1997: Dr Michael Irwin of England, has admitted helping at least 50 people to die.  In more than half of the cases he has personally injected a lethal dose of morphine.  He also admitted to suppling a plastic bag for two of the people.  The family physicians of all the patients were not aware of the cause of death and recorded them as natural deaths.  In England, It is against the law to give someone a lethal dose with the intention of killing them.  Dr Irwin faces prison for up to 14 years if convicted.  Currently no charges have been brought against him.

July 22, 1997: Michigan--Merian's Friends launched their initiative to get physician-assisted death on the ballot.  The group needs to collect 247,129 valid signatures during the next 180 days.

August 13, 1997: Jack Kevorkian acknowledged assisting in the death of Karen Shoffstall, 34, of Long Beach , NY.  She had recently been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.  Her body was found in Farmington Hills, MI.  She died from an injection.

August 26, 1997: Kevorkian colleague, Janet Good, 73, Farmington Hills, died from an assisted suicide.  It is not known for sure whether Jack Kevorkian assisted in her death.  She was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, two years ago.  She died from an injection of poison.

August 29, 1997: The body of Thomas Summerlee, 55, was found in an Farmington Hills, MI motel room.  He was from Colorado.  A note was found directing authorities to Geoffrey Fieger, his attorney.  He had multiple sclerosis.

September 03, 1997: The body of Carol Fox, 54, of Pennsylvania, was found in a Bloomfield Township motel.  Kevorkian has admitted assisting in her suicide.  She had ovarian cancer and died from an injection of a poison.

September 07, 1997: The body of Deborah Sickels, 43, of Arlington, TX was found in a Romulus motel room.  She had multiple sclerosis.  Her family members said she was emotionally unstable.  Kevorkian admitted assisting in her suicide.

September 20, 1997: The body of Natverlal Thakore, 78 of British Columbia was found in a Bloomfield Twp. MI motel.  A letter written by Mr. Thakore was faxed to a local radio station by attorney Geoffrey Fieger.  Mr. Thakore had Parkinson's disease.

September 29, 1997: Kari Miller's body was found in a Detroit area motel, she was from  Colorado, 54 years old, diagnosed with MS.  A note was faxed to an area radio station from Fieger's office alerting them that the body was in the motel.

October 3, 1997: The body of John Zdanowicz, 50 of Berwyn, IL was found in a Livonia motel.  A note was found indicating the he was a patient of Jack Kevorkians' and to contact his Lawyer, Geoffrey Fieger.  Mr. Zdanowicz was diagnosed with ALS.

October 8, 1997: Lois Caswell's body was found in a Detroit area motel.  She was 65, from Kentucky, and had chronic pain syndrome.  She died from in intravenous injection.

October 13, 1997: Kevorkian assisted in the death of Annette Blackman, 34, Presque Ile, MI.  She had MS

October 14, 1997: The U S Supreme Court decided to refuse to hear an appeal from the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruling in Lee v. Harcleroad. 
This was the case that has prevented the 1994 Oregon Law on assisted suicide from taking effect.

October 23, 1997: Jack Kevorkian announced that he will begin harvesting organs and doing  lethal experiments on the bodies of his assisted suicide clients.

October 30, 1997: The body of John J. O'Hara, 54, of  New York City was found in a Detroit area motel.  He was a stroke victim, but not terminally ill.  A note was found indicating he was a patient of Kevorkian.

November 4, 1997: Oregon's Measure 51failed the repeal effort by a margin of 60 to 40 percent  The law may not be able to take immediate effect, because of the Supreme Court's decision not to hear the appeal.

November 5, 1997: Thomas Constantine, DEA Administrator, concluded that "delivering, dispensing or prescribing a controlled substance with the intent of assisting a suicide would not be under any current definition of a 'legitimate medical purpose'" and thus would violate the Controlled Substance Act.  He had been asked by Sen. Hatch and Cong. Hyde to give them his view on assisted suicide as a legitimate medical practice.

November 14, 1997: The body of Nadia Foldes,74, of Vermont was dropped off at a Detroit hospital by Jack Kevorkian.  She had pancreatic cancer.  Geoffrey Fieger alleged that the assisted suicide was held in an area Roman Catholic Church. 

November 21, 1997: Kevorkian dropped off the body of Naomi Sachs, 84, of New York.  She had osteoporosis.  Later in the evening, police found the body of Bernice Gross, 78 of West Palm Beach, FL in a Detroit area hotel room.  A note was found to contact Kevorkian's attorney.  She had multiple sclerosis.

Norwegian doctor, Christian Sandsdalen.  Due to numerous "mitigating circumstances," the court has indefinitely postponed sentencing. He gave a 45 year-old multiple sclerosis patient a lethal injection. 

December 1,1997: The Robert Latimer trial which began Oct.27, ended in a guilty verdict, which brings a mandatory life sentence without chance of parole for ten years.  Claiming this punishment would be "cruel and unusual" under Canada's Charter of Rights and Freedoms, Justice Ted Noble commuted the sentence to one year in prison and one year probation on his farm.

December 3, 1997: Hemlock Society USA declared its support for legalizing non-voluntary euthanasia for mentally incompetent patients who never requested death.

December 3, 1997: The body of Martha Wichorek, 82, of Detroit, was found in her home.  The suicide was assisted by Dr. Georges Reding, Kevorkian's assistant.  She suffered from no apparent illness; from a statement she left, she said " I am 82 years old and want to die".

December 3, 1997:  The Michigan Senate approved a new ban on assisted suicide, 28-7.  SB200 would make assisting in a suicide a felony punishable by four years in jail and a fine of $2000.

December 10, 1997: The British parliament rejected the "Doctor-Assisted Dying Bill" for terminally ill patients.  The vote was 234-89. 

December 11, 1997: The body of Rosalind Haas, 59, of Westminister, CA, was found in a Romulus, MI hotel room.  She had breast cancer and died from a lethal injection.

December 16, 1997: The body of Margaret Weilhart of Oceanside, CA was found in an Allen Park , MI hotel room.  She was a stroke victim, partially paralyzed.  Also the body of Cheri Trimble, 46, of Iowa City, IO, was dropped off at a Pontiac hospital. 

December 22, 1997: Canadian officials announced that they will appeal the sentence given to Robert Latimer.   Also, Toronto Dr. Maurice Genereux pled guilty to two counts of assisting a suicide.  He is the first Canadian doctor to be convicted of this crime.

December 27, 1997: Franz-Johann Long, 53, of Bethlehem, PA died in the presence of Jack Kevorkian.  His family said he had been mentally ill for many years. Also the body of Mary Langford, 73, Tampa, FL was dropped off at an Oakland Co. hospital by Kevorkian and Reding.

January 7, 1998: The body of Nancy Rush,81, of Saline, MI was taken to a Oakland County hospital by Kevorkian and Dr Reding.  She had lung cancer.

January 18, 1998: The body of Carrie Hunter, 35, San Francisco, CA was found in a Pontiac Hotel.  A note was found from Kevorkian.  She had AIDS and was a trans-sexual; died from a lethal injection.

February 4, 1998:  The body of Jeremy Allen, 52, of Cambridge, Mass. was taken to St Joseph Mercy Hospital by Kevorkian.  He had cancer.

February 23, 1998: The body of Murial Clement, 76, of North Branford, Conn. was taken to Beaumont Hospital, Royal Oak, MI by Kevorkian.  She had Parkinson's Disease. 

February 26, 1998: The body of Roosevelt Dawson, 21, Southfield, MI was found in an apartment in Southfield.  He was a paraplegic and had been released from a Grand Rapids nursing home, who tried to get a court order to hold him involuntarily, but was refused.  Kevorkian only had  a few minutes of conversation with Mr. Dawson before he assisted in his suicide.

February 26, 1998: Oregon Health Services Commission voted 10-1 to add assisted suicide to the priority list of treatments provided to Medicaid patients under Oregon's Health Plan.  Lethal drugs will be part of "comfort care" services. 

March 05, 1998: Jack Kevorkian dropped off two bodies within two hours of each other.  The first was that of William Connaughton, 42, of Boston, Mass.  He had a muscle disorder, fibromyalgia.  The second body was that of Patricia Greyham, 61, of Roanoke, VA, she had rheumatoid arthritis.  Both died from a lethal injection.

March, 13, 1998: Waldo Herman, 66, of Detroit died in his home with the help of Jack  Kevorkian.  Mr. Herman had lung cancer.

March 25, 1998: It was reported that Oregon's first use of doctor assisted suicide occurred. Compassion in Dying found a physician willing to assist in the suicide because the patient's physician as well as a second doctor both concluded she was depressed and they were therefore unwilling to assist in her suicide.  Her status as the first person was questioned by an unidentified relative of another woman who claims her relative was assisted before March 25^th.  The Hemlock Society provided the physician because the family did not want any publicity.

March 27, 1998: Jack Kevorkian delivered the body of Mary Judith Kranner, 67, of Southfield, MI to an area hospital.  She had Huntington's disease.

March 30, 1998: Burial finally held for Jeremy Allen, one of Kevorkian's victim, whose body remained unclaimed for nearly two months.  A group from Massachuetts claimed the body and held a funeral.

April, 8, 1998: The body of Shala Semino 46, Phoenix, AZ was taken to a Huron Valley Hosp. by Jack Kevorkian.  The hospital refused to accept the body due to a new policy.   The police picked up the body.  She had ALS and died from a lethal injection.

April 13, 1998: The body of Dixie Wilson, 64, MO, was delivered to an area Pontiac hospital by Jack Kevorkian..  A note indicated she had ALS and all inquires were directed to Geoffrey Fieger.  She died from a lethal injection.

April 16, 1998: The bodies of  Priscilla Hiles, 73, of Oceanside, CA and Jack Schenburn , 89, of Grosse Pointe Park, MI were taken to separate Oakland county hospitals by Jack Kevorkian.  Hiles had several non-terminal diseases, Schenburn had prostrate cancer.  Both died from lethal injections.

April 24, 1998: The body of Lucille Alderman, 86, of Rochester Hills, MI was taken to a Rochester Hills hospital. She was the first to die from cyanide poisoning.  She had a heart condition and a degenerative joint condition. 

May 7, 1998: Jack Kevorkian and Dr. Reding were arrested while they delivered the body of Matthew Johnson, 26, of Aptos, CA. To a Royal Oak Hospital.   Mr Johnson was a quadriplegic.  A scuffle ensued with Royal Oak police officers, who just happened to be at the hospital, when they began questioning Kevorkian about the dead body in his car.  Kevorkian and Reding spent the night in jail upon refusing to post $200 bond.  They entered "not guilty" pleas for resisting arrest and assaulting an officer.  A June 2, pre-trial hearing was set.

May 13,1998: The first Canadian doctor, to be  charged with assisting a suicide, was sentenced to two years in prison.  Dr. Maurice Genereux's attorney said he would appeal.  He also lost his medical license when first charged in March.

May 19, 1998: Emma Kassa, 68, of Xenio, Ohio died with Jack Kevorkian's assistance.  She had lung cancer.

May 27, 1998: Merian's Friends met the deadline for turning in signatures for the November 3, election.  Citizens for Compassionate Care launched a campaign to invalidate as many signatures as possible.

June 5, 1998: A.G. Janet Reno issued her determination on whether Oregon's DWDA was in violation of the federal Controlled Substances Act.  She said that the law permitting doctors to prescribe lethal drugs does not violate the federal law.

June 7, 1988: Joseph Tushkowski, 45, Las Vegas, Nevada, died with Jack Kevorkian's assistance.  Kevorkian began a new phase in his assisted suicide crusade by harvesting the kidneys from the body.  The medical examiner said the body had been mutilated, the kidneys were not accepted for donation.  Mr Tushkowski was a quadriplegic.

June 7, 1998: In response to the Reno ruling on Oregon, Reps. Hyde & Oberstar introduced a house bill to amend the federal Controlled Substance Act.  It specifically prohibits physician-assisted suicide, through prescribing federally regulated drugs.

June 9, 1998: A Hawaiian 18-member panel released a report  recommending that Hawaii legalize euthanasia.  They completed 18 months of hearings and debates and concluded that individuals should have the choice to end their lives, either by their hand or their doctor's.

June 30, 1998: Royal Oak City attorneys charged that Kevorkian violated a state law against mutilating a corpse, and asked a judge to revoke his bond or revise its conditions to prohibit organ harvesting.

July 9, 1998: The Judge did modify Kevorkian's conditions, so that if he assists in a suicide he can be jailed.

July 16, 1998: The Michigan Dept. of Consumer & Industry Services served Kevorkian with a subpoena demanding his records on 42 patients he "treated" since their Cease and Desist Order from April 1997.  He refused to turn over the records. 

July 20, 1998: The Board of Canvassers of the Michigan Elections Bureau voted 4-0 to certify the Merian's Friends signatures were turned in.  Of the 379,813 signatures turned in, only 261,455 were valid, but enough to get the initiative on the ballot.

July 22, 1998: Federal bills HR 4006, and S2151 ( the bills to clarify the Controlled Substance Act) were being acted upon.  The house bill passed the House Judiciary SubCommittee 6-5 with amendments.  It was expected to be