Assisted suicide petitioner dies of infection
Posted October 5, 2012 9:39 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – Gloria Taylor, who had recently won her court case to have a doctor help her commit suicide, has died suddenly.
As it turns out, the West Kelowna woman didn’t need a doctor to end her life.
“Gloria died of an acute infection that resulted from a perforated colon. Her death was very sudden and very unexpected,” says the BC Civil Liberties Association’s Grace Pastine. The association took an active role in the court case, becoming a plaintiff alongside Taylor.
The 64-year-old had ALS, a progressive disease that eventually incapacitates the people who have it. She had gone to the courts to get the laws governing assisted suicide changed.
“Gloria had the death that she so dearly hoped for. It was a peaceful death. It was a painless death and she was able to die surrounded by her friends and her family members,” says Pastine.
The BC Supreme Court ruled that the right to die with dignity is protected by the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, and granted Gloria a personal exemption allowing her the right to seek a physician-assisted death.
The court gave the federal government a year to change the necessary legislation, but in the meantime, the government has appealed the ruling.
Pastine says they are looking forward to continuing on behalf of Taylor. “This case is very much Gloria’s legacy, and we will continue with it.”
