Outlawing Dr. Death

For two years and 15 deaths, Dr. Jack Kevorkian thumbed his nose at Michigan officials. But the authorities have begun to strike back. Last Thursday the state legislature rushed through a law banning physician-assisted suicide, which the Governor quickly signed.

Hours later, police searched Kevorkian's Royal Oak apartment looking for evidence that the doctor may have killed his 13th patient, Hugh Gale, against his will. Operation Rescue, a pro-life group that has opposed Kevorkian, gave police a report fished out of his aide's garbage. The document, which Kevorkian had signed, suggests that Gale twice asked that the carbon monoxide- supplying mask be removed. The second time, Kevorkian left the mask on until Gale died. Oakland County prosecutor Richard Thompson said the report takes the death "out of the realm of assisted suicide and puts it into the realm of attempted homicide." Gale's widow and Kevorkian's lawyer denied that Gale had lost his desire to die, contending that he had only halted the procedure once because he was hot.