As you should be well aware by now, I am very much a supporter of human rights and I strongly believe that dying with dignity. Lou Gehrig's is one of the worst diseases out there, people suffer tremendously from it before their death, why wouldn't we allow her to die on her own terms?
Thoughts?
B.C. woman asks Supreme Court to be allowed to die with dignity
Gloria Taylor
Photo Credit: Ted Field, Global News
VANCOUVER – A woman suffering from ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, has filed an application with the BC Supreme Court to be allowed a choice in her death.
Gloria Taylor, 63, has asked to be added as a plaintiff in the B.C. Civil Liberties Association’s (BCCLA) death with dignity lawsuit – she is terminally ill and there is no known cure for her disease.
“I’m asking the mercy of the court to allow me the option to work with my doctor to ease my pain and help me end my life peacefully and with dignity,” said Taylor.
“I should be able to make the choice about how much suffering to endure, based on my own beliefs and values,” she added. “All of my life, I’ve been a supporter of the dying with dignity movement. I strongly believe that all Canadians like me should have the choice and comfort of aid in dying.”
The BCCLA filed a lawsuit in April 2011, challenging the law that it is a criminal offense to assist seriously and incurably ill individuals to die.
“It doesn’t make any sense that it’s legal for me to commit suicide, but it’s illegal for someone to help me to die at peace, without pain, in the comfort of my home, with family and friends surrounding me,” said Taylor.
She was diagnosed with the disease in 2009, after experiencing symptoms as far back as 2003. The BCCLA said that since Taylor’s diagnosis, her condition has steadily worsened.
“A number of countries around the world as well as a number of states in the U.S. now allow for medically-assisted aid in dying,” said Joseph Arvay, Q.C., lawyer for the plaintiffs. “The time has come for Canada to follow their lead.”
“The experience in these countries reveals that fears about allowing physician assisted dying are unfounded. All Canadians deserve compassionate care at the end of life, including the option of a medically-assisted death,” he added.
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