NASHVILLE, Tenn. - He's been involved in Tennessee politics for more than 60 years while committed to civil rights, but after being diagnosed with stage 4 terminal cancer, John Jay Hooker said he's fighting his biggest battle yet: the right to die.
"In my view in terms of humanity this is the most important case,” he said. "This is the question of life and death."
The 84-year-old said he has planned to fight to the very end hoping to win his lawsuit against the state.
"If I can just get this done or any part of it, I'll leave with a smile on my face,” said Hooker.
Hooker was told back in January he had six to 12 months left to live.
"What right of the state of Tennessee to tell me if I'm sick and burdened that I can't leave, that I have to be a prisoner in my own bed and suffer unnecessarily," said Hooker.
The state's attorneys argued before Chancellor Carol McCoy saying assisted suicide goes against the Tennessee Constitution, while Hooker's legal team said it was never meant to be stagnant.
"The constitution was always meant to evolve like in the same-sex marriage case they found a fundamental right they may not have thought about 100 years ago,” said attorney Hal Hardin. "It's an evolving thing as society changes."
Though there was no ruling Friday, Hooker said he remains optimistic about the outcome.
“You bet your bottom dollar we're going to get rid of this barbaric treatment and making people slaves," he said. "The government has got no right to do it."
The judge said she hopes to make a decision on this case quickly. No news cameras were allowed inside the courtroom. The state chose not to comment.
