Kevorkian Defends Removal of Organs

The body of a quadriplegic who killed himself with the help of Dr. Jack Kevorkian was mutilated by whoever removed the kidneys for transplantation. “They didn’t remove his sweater. They just pulled it up, then cut the belly,” the Detroit medical examiner said after an autopsy. He ruled Joseph Tushkowski’s death a homicide, as he does all deaths in which Kevorkian is involved. Kevorkian has said that Tushkowski’s kidneys were removed after all of the protocols for organ transplant, including sterile conditions and testing for various diseases, including HIV and hepatitis. Kevorkian would not say who removed the kidneys or how or where they were being stored.