A pathologist in southeast Michigan, Jack Kevorkian's medical license was suspended in 1991. In April 1999, he was sentenced to prison for second-degree murder. At the time of his conviction, authorities believed he had a part in the deaths of some 130 people. The Catholic Archdiocese of Detroit was among those that consistently expressed horror at Kevorkian's trail of death, and called for an immediate and permanent stop to the killings. Ned McGrath, director of communications for the Detroit archdiocese, makes this statement on Kevorkian's parole:


"For 10 years, Jack Kevorkian's actions resembled those of a pathological serial killer. It will be truly regrettable if he's now treated as a celebrity parolee instead of the convicted murderer he is.


"Together with our fellow Catholics in Michigan, the Detroit archdiocese pledges to continue our efforts on behalf of patients, their families and their caregivers to increase the knowledge -- and availability -- of medically and morally sound options for end-of-life decision-making."