'Ana' blog by Ana Estrada
Ana Estrada
From 2019 to 2024, the personal blog of the psychologist Ana Estrada, typed with the one finger she could move, became a focal point of the debate on assisted dying in Peru. A chronicle of Estrada’s life with polymyositis and in palliative care, the blog supported her successful appeal for the right to die, creating a legal precedent in her country and sparking discussion far beyond.
'Lecretia's Choice' by Matt Vickers
Matt Vickers
In this heartfelt memoir, Matt Vickers recounts how he and his wife, prominent lawyer Lecretia Seales who was diagnosed with a brain tumour, fought in the Aotearoa/New Zealand High Court to allow her to choose when she died. Although her case was rejected, Seales’s story influenced subsequent legalisation in the country.
The last words of María Benito
María Benito
After a legal battle to ratify her right to refuse treatment, María Benito had her artificial vital support systems removed and died, becoming the second person in Peru to win a constitutional appeal for the right to die. Benito’s last words, communicated via a device that tracked her eye movements, were first shared on social media and then reported by multiple news sources.
'TI SI WHAT TI SI' by Paola Roldán
Paola Roldán
Published two years before her constitutional victory for the right to die, Paola Roldán’s memoir narrates her journey of self-discovery and of living with ALS, a chronic disease that left her paralyzed and dependent on a respirator. Dedicated to her son and having a spiritual dimension, the 2022 book helped promote Roldán’s plea for self-determination in Ecuador’s religious-political landscape.
'A Message to the Standing Committee on Justice and Solicitor General' by Sue Rodriguez
Sue Rodriguez
In this videotaped address to Parliament, Sue Rodriguez, who was dying of ALS and wanted an assisted death, asks ‘If I cannot give consent to my own death […] who owns my life?’ While the Supreme Court of Canada heard her case in 1993 and ultimately decided against her, the publicization of Rodriguez’s story informed much public thinking about assisted dying laws in Canada.
Guzaarish by Sanjay Leela Bhansaali
Sanjay Leela Bhansaali (Writer and Director)
‘Guzaarish’ is a Bollywood film about Ethan Mascarenhas, a quadriplegic radio jockey who faces legal and public pushback after petitioning for state-sanctioned euthanasia. Structured around a legal battle, ‘Guzaarish’ is a comedy, romance, drama, and a musical starring two of Bollywood’s biggest stars. The film introduced India’s cinema-going audience to assisted death.
'Mar adentro' by Alejandro Amenábar
Alejandro Amenábar (director and writer), Mateo Gil (writer)
For almost thirty years, Ramón Sampedro has been paralysed from the neck down. Having had enough of his paraplegic state, Ramón decides that he wants to die and seeks the help of an assisted dying lobby group to generate support for his case. When all legal avenues fail, a small group of his friends help Ramón to end his life.
'The Death Debate' by Kevin Eastwood
Kevin Eastwood (Director and Producer)
This 2016 documentary provides a behind-the-scenes view of the legal team at the British Columbia Civil Liberties Association as they bring the Carter case to the Supreme Court of Canada. The Carter case led to the legalization of assisted death in Canada and this change in the law is presented in a favourable light through the filmmaker’s editorial choices.
'The Life and Death of Gloria Taylor' by The Fifth Estate, CBC News
The Fifth Estate, CBC News
This documentary follows the final year in the life Gloria Taylor, a plaintiff in the court case that led to the legalization of medical assistance in dying in Canada. The film provides an overview of debates prior to legalization by documenting Gloria’s experience with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, her legal team’s approach, and the response of those who oppose her case.