Sue Rodriguez

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Sue Rodriguez (August 2, 1950-February 12, 1994) was an advocate of the right to die with dignity.

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.

Ms. Rodriguez, who lived in Victoria, British Columbia, was diagnosed with ALS in early 1992. 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 took her cause twice to the Supreme Court of Canada, but ultimately lost both battles. On September 30, 1993, in what would become a landmark decision, the SCC held 5-4 against her.

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 Ms. Rodriguez, tells her story.

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