Sue Rodriguez was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba and grew up in the Toronto suburb of 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.
Death
After her ALS diagnosis, Rodriquez requested the help of a physician in an assisted suicide. However, none would help her; under section 241 of the nation's 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". Rodriguez sought a legal exception in her home province, British Columbia, but was denied. The British Columbia Civil Liberties Association filed a lawsuit, Rodriguez v British Columbia , that challenged section 241 as contrary to sections 7, 12, and 15 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. In a videotaped address to 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?” 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. 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 The doctor's intervention was arranged by MPSvend Robinson, who was regarded as one of Rodriguez's most prominent supporters. Robinson was present at her death. However, by her request, her ex-husband Henry and their son Cole were not. An investigation was undertaken, but no charges were laid. 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 . The Court unanimously struck down parts of section 241 and section 14 of the Criminal Code which the justices ruled unjustifiably infringed on section 7 of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
In the media
The 1996 book Timely Death was inspired by the Sue Rodriguez story, and the 1998 film , which stars Wendy Crewson as Sue Rodriguez, dramatizes her story. On June 17, 2016, medically assisted dying became legal in Canada. 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".
