Sue Rodriguez

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Sue Rodriguez (August 2, 1950 – February 12, 1994) was an advocate of assisted suicide.

She was born in Winnipeg, with the given name Sue Shipley, and grew up in Thornhill, Ontario, a suburb of Toronto. Her first marriage was short lived.

Rodriguez, who lived in Victoria, British Columbia, was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) in early 1991. She fought to have a legal right to assisted suicide; under the Criminal Code of Canada, assisted suicide is punishable by a maximum sentence of 14 years in prison. She twice took her cause to the Supreme 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, a New Democratic Party MP who had championed her cause, was also present.

A 1998 film called At the End of the Day: The Sue Rodriguez Story, with Wendy Crewson as Rodriguez, tells her story.

Notable Cases in Medical Ethics

Nancy Cruzan — Tirhas Habtegiris — Sun Hudson — Baby K — Spiro Nikolouzos — Karen Ann Quinlan — Sue Rodriguez — Terri Schiavo — Piergiorgio Welby