Patient

Kathleen, better known as Kay, Carter was a North Vancouver resident,

mother of seven, and loved traveling with her husband. Kay was
described as always being fiercely independent and kind. When she was
diagnosed with spinal stenosis, she decided that assisted suicide could be
an option for her. Spinal stenosis is a degenerative disease that results
from abnormal narrowing of the spinal canal and can occur in any portion
of the spine. In Kays case, her disease left her confined in a wheelchair
unable to use the bathroom or feed herself without assistance. Eventually
the disease would progress and lead to her death. Despite the legal
actions taking place to legalize physician-assisted suicide in Canada, Kay
and her family considered planning a secret trip to a country where
physician-assisted suicide was already legal. These plans could still be
seen as violating Canadas law against aiding any person in their suicide

The B.C Civil Liberties Association

The BCCLA believes that Canadians who are suffering unbearably at the
end of life should have the right to choose a dignified and peaceful
death. In 2011 the organization filed a lawsuit to challenge the law that
criminalizes doctors who aid terminally ill individuals who wish to end
their lives. They argued that the right to control when and how we die is
part of a persons right to life, liberty, and security. After three years in
smaller courts, the BCCLA took their case to the Supreme Court of
Canada. Kay Carter and her family were part of this legal dispute as well
as Gloria Taylor, Hollis Johnson, and Elayne Shapray. These Canadians

The Canadian Courts

The Supreme Court of British Columbia is the superior trial court for the
province of British Columbia. The high court hears all civil and criminal
law cases as well as appeals from the provincial courts. It was the
courts job to decide whether the BCCLA and its co-plaintiffs were right
in their case that the prohibition of assisted dying violates Section 15
of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and Section 7 the
right to life, liberty, and security of person.

Questions??
ShouldKaysfamilygotoadifferentcountryforassistedsuicide?
Shouldherfamilygetcriminalizedforhelpingher?
WillthecourtsruleinfavororagainsttheBCCLA?