Editing Sue Rodriguez

{{short description|Canadian right-to-die activist}}
{{Infobox person
|name        = Susan Rodriguez
|birth_name  = Susan Jane Shipley
|birth_date  = {{birth date|1950|08|02}}
|birth_place = [[Winnipeg]], Manitoba, Canada
|death_date  = {{dda|1994|02|12|1950|08|02}}
|death_place = [[Victoria, British Columbia|Victoria]], British Columbia, Canada
|children    = 1
|known_for   = [[Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis]] (ALS) sufferer who unsuccessfully [[Litigation|litigated]] for the [[right to die]] by [[assisted suicide]]
}}

'''Sue Rodriguez''' (August 2, 1950 – February 12, 1994) was a Canadian [[right-to-die]] activist. In August 1991, she was diagnosed with [[amyotrophic lateral sclerosis]] (ALS or [[Lou Gehrig]]'s disease) and was given two to five years to live.<ref>[http://www.cbc.ca/archives/entry/diagnosed-with-a-killer-disease Sue Rodriguez at CBC Archives page]</ref> She ultimately made the decision to [[Assisted suicide|end her life]] and she sought the assistance of a doctor to that end, leading to a legal battle. She lost her case in front of the [[Supreme Court of Canada]], but took her own life with the help of an anonymous doctor on February 12, 1994. She is cited as an important figure in the eventual legalization of medical assistance in dying in Canada.

== Life ==
Sue Rodriguez was born in [[Winnipeg]], [[Manitoba]] and grew up in the [[Toronto]] suburb of [[Thornhill, Ontario|Thornhill]]. She lived in [[California]] for a time before returning to Canada. Her first marriage to Henry Rodriguez ended after less than eight years, and she had a son.<ref>[https://search.alexanderstreet.com/preview/work/bibliographic_entity%7Cvideo_work%7C2442894 ''Who Owns My Life?: The Sue Rodriguez Story'' video]</ref>

== 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>

== In the media ==
The 1996 book ''[[Timely Death]]'' was inspired by the Sue Rodriguez story, and the 1998 [[film]] ''[[At the End of the Day: The Sue Rodriguez Story]]'', which stars [[Wendy Crewson]] as Sue Rodriguez, dramatizes her story.

On June 17, 2016, medically assisted dying became legal in Canada.<ref>[https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-36566214 Canada's parliament passes assisted suicide bill]</ref> An emotional Svend Robinson, who now lives in [[Geneva]], [[Switzerland]], told the press: “Today’s ruling is a victory for compassion, for justice and for humanity. And I pay tribute to the memory of Sue Rodriguez, who with courage, passion and dignity blazed the trail that led to this historic day. She would have been thrilled".<ref>[https://vancouversun.com/health/svend+robinson+tears+memories+rodriguez+rush+back/10794380/story.html For Svend Robinson, tears as memories of Sue Rodriguez rush back]</ref>

== See also ==
*[[Gloria Taylor (patient)|Gloria Taylor]]

== References ==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
* [http://www.cbc.ca/archives/categories/politics/rights-freedoms/sue-rodriguez-and-the-right-to-die-debate/topic-sue-rodriguez-and-the-right-to-die-debate.html CBC Archives - Sue Rodriguez and the Right-To-Die Debate]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20120321105410/http://csc.lexum.org/en/1993/1993scr3-519/1993scr3-519.html Supreme Court of Canada - Decisions - Rodriguez v. British Columbia (Attorney General)]

{{EthicsCases|state=collapsed}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rodriguez, Sue}}
[[Category:1950 births]]
[[Category:1994 suicides]]
[[Category:Assisted suicide]]
[[Category:Euthanasia activists]]
[[Category:Medical controversies in Canada]]
[[Category:Activists from Winnipeg]]
[[Category:Suicides in British Columbia]]
[[Category:1994 deaths]]