“The desire of the parole board was not to infringe on his freedom of speech,” said Mr. Marlan. “What they don’t want is him offering information on how to build the device he has previously used for such things or how to create a system to assist in suicide.”

Image After serving 8 years, Dr. Jack Kevorkian today walked out of prison and into the predictable media frenzy. Credit... Carlos Osorio/European Pressphoto Agency

Mr. Kevorkian’s release sparked a flurry of reaction among those focused on the issues of assisted suicide and dying. When he entered prison in 1999, Mr. Kevorkian was viewed by critics as a scary, peculiar symbol of those who favored assisted suicide; some questioned whether the more than 100 ill people he claimed to have helped die were truly capable of making the decision to end their lives. Supporters, meanwhile, viewed him as a bold, fearless advocate of a movement intended to spare some terminally ill Americans from gruesome, painful ends.

As he emerged today, assisted suicide and death choices — spurred in part by the case of Terri Schiavo in Florida — were still being fought over; in California, legislators are expected to vote on a “Compassionate Choices Act” next week.

Oregon remains the only state in the country with a law that allows a terminally ill patient to ask a doctor to prescribe a lethal amount of medication under certain circumstances. Other states, including Vermont, have rejected such proposals.

Mr. Kevorkian must check in with a parole officer every week, and is to reside in Bloomfield Hills, where he is expected to live on about $900 a month from a pension and Social Security benefits, Mr. Marlan said.