Letters
Possibly a hero, but not a medical one
EDITOR,--John Roberts and Carl Kjellstrand's editorial contains several uncontroversial assertions: that those who are dying need our commitment to stay with them throughout their journey, that few of those who write about ethics and decisions concerning the end of life have direct responsibility to people in need, and that Jack Kevorkian has been a man of action who has lived by a personal code of honour that admits of no qualification.1 The editorial also states that neither greed for money nor fame, in the conventional sense, is a discernible motive for Kevorkian's actions. His motives might be interpreted as courage against injustice or reckless moral self indulgence, but in either interpretation the thrill of turning to the law (and not just any law) and saying "I dare you to stop me" should not be underestimated. Calling Kevorkian a hero might alter our perception of the term hero as much as
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