- Sue Rodriguez
Sue Rodriguez (
August 2 ,1950 –February 12 ,1994 ) was an advocate ofassisted suicide .She was born in
British Columbia , with the given name Sue Shipley, and grew up inThornhill, Ontario , a suburb ofToronto . Her first marriage was short lived.Rodriguez, who lived in
Victoria, British Columbia , was diagnosed withamyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) in early 1991. She fought to have alegal right toassisted suicide ; under theCriminal Code of Canada , assisted suicide is punishable by a maximum sentence of 14 years inprison . She twice took her cause to theSupreme Court of Canada , but ultimately lost both battles. On September 30, 1993, in what would become a landmark decision, "Rodriguez v. British Columbia (Attorney General) ", the SCC held 5-4 against her.In 1994, she decided to take her own life with the help of an anonymous physician.
Svend Robinson , aNew Democratic Party MP who had championed her cause, was also present.A 1998 film called "", with
Wendy Crewson as Rodriguez, tells her story.References
* [http://archives.cbc.ca/politics/rights_freedoms/topics/1135/ CBC Archives - Sue Rodriguez and the Right-To-Die Debate]
* [http://csc.lexum.umontreal.ca/en/1993/1993rcs3-519/1993rcs3-519.html Supreme Court of Canada - Decisions - Rodriguez v. British Columbia (Attorney General)]
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