This is the final sentence of the film, after the jury found Dr. Jack Kevorkian guilty, the judge sentenced Jack. Afterwards, Jack served his sentence in 1999 until June 1, 2007 (on parole, provided Jack could no longer advise others about suicide), and died on June 3, 2011.
There is a sentence in the judgment: "You can criticize the law, denounce the law, complain to the media or petition the voters. But you can never go beyond the boundaries of the law." To many, the 130 euthanasia cases Dr. Jack performed between 1990 and 1999 were justified. Although the charges against Dr. Jack were dropped several times due to the absence of a law on assisted suicide in Chicago at the time, due to the provisions of American law at the time, Jack was eventually sentenced to second-degree misdemeanor murder under subsequent legislation. Some people will think this is unreasonable, but the law is exactly that, using its unchallenged to maintain the operation of the entire civilized society. No matter how beneficial this act is to the parties and the society as a whole, as long as it violates the law at that time, it must be considered an illegal act.
The law is lagging behind, and there is bound to be a long gap between when a social problem occurs and when the social problem is regulated by legislation. Prescribing any social issue worthy of legal regulation requires considerable rigour. Based on factors such as number and experience, legislators do not have a deep understanding of many social issues, which will directly slow down the process of legislation and the rationality and operability of legislation on social issues. What Dr. Jack does is based on his knowledge and actions of euthanasia itself. But on the other hand, Jack, because of his actions, became a hero for promoting euthanasia legislation in the United States. Judging from the subsequent situation, several states in the United States have introduced corresponding euthanasia legislation, making the United States one of the few countries with euthanasia-related legislation. All this is definitely due to Dr. Jack's credit.
When what you think is correct is not in line with the laws at the time, and even if you act, you will be held legally responsible, how will you choose? Dr. Jack chose to stay true to his beliefs, and to "challenge" the majesty of the law in a positive way, with the sole purpose of hoping that the law would recognize what he did. On the other hand, even if the judge or jury members may find that Dr. Jack's behavior is reasonable on a personal level, the American law at the time did not allow such behavior, so the guilt and judgment of Dr. Jack is inevitable. It seems that Dr. Jack has become a victim of American law. It is undeniable that Jack exchanged his personal freedom for the achievement of his life goals and the progress of American legislation.
While admiring the strength of Dr. Jack's own personality, he also admires the state of American justice described in the film: it is rigorous and not blind, and adheres to the essence of the supremacy of the law; it has its own independent personality and rules; "Compromise"; the purpose is to fight crime and maintain social order and stick to it forever.
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