The B.C. woman at the centre of last week's court decision that struck down Canada's ban on doctor-assisted suicide says she really wishes people would stop using the word "suicide" to describe what, to her, is simply the right to die.
Gloria Taylor, 64, much prefers the term "physician-assisted death," saying it more accurately describes her choice to end her life in a peaceful way.
"I think people everywhere need to get the word ‘suicide' right out of their brain. It is not suicide. It is absolutely not suicide. There is a total difference," Taylor told CTV's Canada AM Tuesday from Vancouver.
"If anyone has ever had a friend of family commit suicide, they know. There's just no comparison."
Last week, a B.C. court ruling struck down Canada's ban on doctor-assisted death, saying the law violates two sections of the Charter of Rights: the right to equality, and the right to life, liberty and security of the person. The ruling gave Parliament a year to rewrite the law.
The B.C. government was named as a defendant in Taylor's case, but the province's attorney general has referred the issue back to Ottawa.
Federal Justice Minister Rob Nicholson has yet to say whether the government will appeal. A spokeswoman described assisted-suicide as an "emotional and divisive issue" and said the minister is reviewing the decision.
Taylor, who has ALS, or Lou Gehrig's disease, was granted an immediate exemption from the law. But she says she's made no decisions about when she will ask a doctor to help her end her life.
Diagnosed in 2009, Taylor says her condition has deteriorated significantly since her court battle began. She now needs a wheelchair almost all the time, uses a feeding tube to eat, and has limited use of her hands.
"And now they tell me that my voice is going, which is another tragedy to me. A big one. What does a person do when they can't talk or write messages to their family or to their caregivers? I can't even imagine. I can't even imagine what's down the road," Taylor said. "And now that it's coming closer to that, it's becoming more horrific in my mind."
Throughout her court fight, Taylor says her family has been "100 per cent supportive" and believes in what she's been fighting for. She's never understood why any family would think it best to let their loved one in pain.
"I don't believe – and I haven't believed since the time I was a young child -- that anybody should die suffering, screaming in pain or sick half to death. I just think that there's an easier way to die," she says.
She adds that it's remarkable that our society allows a pet owner to decide when their pets have endured enough suffering.
"Just a matter of days ago, I had a friend who had to put her dog down because it had been suffering for the better part of a week. I thought, ‘Wow, this is so easy, she can just go and do this.' And yet people who are suffering badly, can't – or they couldn't until now," Taylor says.
"It's just not right. It doesn't even make sense to me."
