Ethical decisions are made by terminally ill patients as they face death. Some choose to end their lives through PAS, physician-assisted suicide. Dr. Jack Kevorkian helps patients end their lives through his machines. The public believes that using this machine is considered murder, but some have changed their minds and created laws to make it legal for a doctor to help a terminally ill patient die. Physician-assisted suicide is a dignified way to end life.Dr. Kevorkian, a pathologist, born in 1928, was known for his campaign on behalf of terminally ill patients and their rights to assisted suicide. He built a machine from household parts, which included tools, toy parts, and other items easily found around the house or at the local hardware store. This machine was called Thanatron, a Greek word meaning death machine. He designed it with patient comfort in mind. They would be able to use this machine in their own home. The total cost of the machine was $45.00. (Gibbs, McBride-Mellinger, 69; PBS.org, web). This machine used an intravenous drip connected to the patient. The IV will begin to drip a saline solution. When the patient was ready, they pressed a button and this solution stopped dripping. At this time the machine would deliver a drug called thiopental, better known as sodium pentothal, a general anesthesia for sixty seconds. The patient subsequently fell into a coma. A timer would stop the first drug and release the next one called potassium chloride. This drug will cause a heart attack and the patient will die in his sleep. (Gibbs, McBride-Mellinger; PBS.org. Once Dr. Kevorkian could no longer obtain the drugs needed to use this machine, he began using a machine called Mer... middle of paper... Web March 20 2012Worldrtd.net “USA: with Montana now the three states provide legal assistance in the event of death” 24 MPbs.org “ Thanatron” Np nd Web 23 March 2012Velasquez, Manuel, Andre, Claire “Assisted suicide A Right or Wrong." University by Santa Clara and Web March 24, 2012Jackson Nicholas "Jack Kevorkina's Death Van and the Technology of Assisted Suicide" and 2010 Web March 23Braddok III Clarence H. MD MPH." medicine” nd University of Washington School of MedicineState Death With Dignity Act ” Np nd University of Washington Department of Bioethics and Humanities 2009 web March 24, 20122010, Web March 24, 2012Knaplund Kristine S “Montana becomes third U.S. state to allow doctors to witness death” n .dPepperdine University of Law March 24 2012Starks Helene, “Washington