Editing Sue Rodriguez (section)

== Death ==
After her ALS diagnosis, Rodriguez requested the help of a physician for [[Assisted suicide|medical aid in dying]].<ref>Herbert C. Northcott & Donna Marie Wilson, [[Dying & Death in Canada, 2nd ed.]] (Peterborough, Ont.: Broadview Press, 2008‑01‑01), ISBN 978-1-55111-873-4, p. 127.</ref> However, no physicians were willing to fulfill the request; under section 241(b) of Canada's ''[[Criminal Code (Canada)|Criminal Code]]'', anyone who "...aids or abets a person to commit suicide, whether suicide ensues or not, is guilty of an indictable offence and liable to imprisonment for a term not exceeding fourteen years".<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/apr/14/canada-proposed-assisted-suicide-law-excludes-tourists Canada's proposed assisted-dying law to preclude suicide tourism ]</ref><ref>[https://yourlaws.ca/criminal-code-canada/241-suicide 241 - Suicide | Criminal Code of Canada]</ref> Rodriguez sought a legal exception in her home province, [[British Columbia]], but was denied.

The [[British Columbia Civil Liberties Association]] (BCCLA) filed a [[lawsuit]], ''[[Rodriguez v British Columbia (AG)]]'', that challenged section 241(b) as contrary to sections [[Section 7 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms|7]], [[Section 12 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms|12]], and [[Section 15 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms|15]] of the [[Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms]].<ref>[http://publications.gc.ca/Collection-R/LoPBdP/BP/bp349-e.htm The Rodriguez Case: A Review of the Supreme Court of Canada Decision on Assisted Suicide]</ref> In a [[videotape]]d address to [[Parliament of Canada|Parliament]] on November 24, 1992, Rodriguez famously asked, “If I cannot give consent to my own death, whose body is this? Who owns my life?”<ref>{{cite web |title=Canadian Woman Urges Legal Suicide Aid (Published 1992) |website=[[The New York Times]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180706105929/https://www.nytimes.com/1992/11/26/world/canadian-woman-urges-legal-suicide-aid.html |archive-date=2018-07-06 |url-status=live |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1992/11/26/world/canadian-woman-urges-legal-suicide-aid.html}}</ref><ref>[https://windsorstar.com/life/who-owns-my-life-sue-rodriguez-changed-how-we-think 'Who owns my life?': Sue Rodriguez changed how we think]</ref> On May 20, 1993, her case was heard by the [[Supreme Court of Canada]]. On September 30 of that year, it decided against her 5–4.<ref>[https://scc-csc.lexum.com/scc-csc/scc-csc/en/item/1054/index.do Rodriguez v. British Columbia (Attorney General) - SCC Cases (Lexum)]</ref>

On February 12, 1994, with the assistance of an anonymous doctor, Sue Rodriguez ended her own life by ingesting a liquid mixture of [[morphine]] and [[secobarbital]].<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/1994/02/15/world/woman-who-lost-a-right-to-die-case-in-canada-commits-suicide.html Woman Who Lost a Right-to-Die Case in Canada Commits Suicide]</ref><ref>[https://www.pressreader.com/canada/the-province/20111115/281608122232134 PressReader.com - Connecting People Through News]</ref> The doctor's intervention was arranged by [[Member of parliament#Canada|MP]] [[Svend Robinson]], who was regarded as one of Rodriguez's most prominent supporters. Robinson was present at her death.<ref>Joan M. Gilmour, "Death, Dying and Decision-Making about End of Life Care" in [[Jocelyn Downie]] et al (eds), ''Canadian Health Law and Policy'' (Canada: LexisNexis, 2007), page 471</ref> However, by her request, her ex-husband Henry and their son Cole were not. An investigation was undertaken, but no charges were laid.<ref>[https://www.pressreader.com/canada/the-province/20140209/282153584171588 PressReader.com - Connecting People Through News]</ref> Robinson has vowed never to reveal the anonymous doctor's identity.

Almost 23 years later, on June 7, 2016, medical assistance in dying became legal in Canada as the result of a similar Supreme Court case, ''[[Carter v Canada (AG)]]''. The Court unanimously struck down parts of section 241(b) and section 14 of the Criminal Code which the justices ruled unjustifiably infringed on section 7 of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.<ref>[https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/06/18/482599089/canada-legalizes-physician-assisted-dying Canada Legalizes Physician-Assisted Dying]</ref><ref>[https://scc-csc.lexum.com/scc-csc/scc-csc/en/item/14637/index.do Carter v. Canada (Attorney General) - SCC Cases (Lexum)]</ref>