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'A Good Death' by Jason Warick

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Jason Warick; CBC News

A Good Death is a profile of Saskatoon artist Jeanette Lodoen before, during, and after her death by medical assistance in dying. She granted CBC News unrestricted access to herself and her family in her final days because she wanted to share what an assisted death is like with families, health professionals, and lawmakers.

'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.

'Arbeit und Struktur' by Wolfgang Herrndorf

Wolfgang Herrndorf

Wolfgang Herrndorf originally wrote this text as a blog, which he began in 2010, after being diagnosed with an incurable brain tumour. The text, which was published as a book after his suicide, vehemently advocates for the right to assisted suicide and was therefore used as a plea in public and political debates by those in favour of legalizing that right.

'At His Own Wake, Celebrating Life and the Gift of Death' by Catherine Porter

Catherine Porter

In this New York Times cover story, Catherine Porter recounts the assisted death of John Shields, an activist, environmentalist, and union leader from Vancouver Island. The article appeared shortly before the one-year anniversary of the legalization of medical assistance in dying in Canada and explores how assisted death impacts the rituals surrounding death.

'By the Time Your Read This, I’ll Be Dead' by John Hofsess

John Hofsess

In this article, right to die activist John Hofsess reveals that he illegally helped eight people kill themselves from 1999 to 2001, including the Canadian poet Al Purdy. Hofsess portrays himself in a positive light, as a hero of the assisted suicide cause, but a 2022 article by journalist Sandra Martin casts doubt on both his character and motivations.

'Del otro lado del jardín' by Carlos Framb

Carlos Framb

After assisting in his mother Luzmila Alzate’s death in 2007 and unsuccessfully attempting suicide, the poet Carlos Framb found himself accused of homicide. This memoir recounts Framb’s legal saga, his relationship with his mother, and defends the right-to-die in the context of Colombia, that had decriminalized euthanasia in 1997 but not yet created guidelines for assisted dying.

'Dies Irae' by Danièle Saint-Bois

Danièle Saint-Bois

Following two extremely difficult years suffering with cancer, artist Alicia D. decides she wants to end her life. With the help of her doctor and a nurse, who is also a love interest, Alicia receives an actively hastened death, beyond the provisions of the 2005 Leonetti Law.

'Intervals' by Marianne Brooker

Marianne Brooker

Having lived with a progressive form of multiple sclerosis for ten years, Marianne Brooker’s mother voluntarily stopped eating and drinking, a legal approximation of assisted dying in the UK. Brooker’s long-form essay about her mother’s decision and her own experience caring for her at the end positions Brooker’s demand for assisted dying options within wider issues of social justice.

'Je vous demande le droit de mourir' by Vincent Humbert

Vincent Humbert (with Frédéric Veille)

Following a life-changing accident, which left Vincent Humbert paraplegic, blind and mute, the young man decided that he wanted to end his life and wrote to the French President in search of help. This text is his story, one of the most significant in the history of the assisted dying debate in France.

'Ma dernière liberté: Journal d’une mort décidée' by Jean-Marie Lorand

Jean-Marie Lorand

This text is a published version of the diary kept by former journalist and parliamentary aide, turned assisted dying activist, Jean-Marie Lorand during the last months of his life. Lorand was an influential figure in public debate and his testimony was shared during the hearings in the Belgian Senate prior to the introduction of the country’s Act on Euthanasia (2002).

'Tanner geht' by Wolfgang Prosinger

Wolfgang Prosinger

51-year-old Ulrich Tanner, who lived in Cologne, suffered from various incurable diseases and took his own life in Switzerland with the help of the organisation Dignitas. Journalist Wolfgang Prosinger accompanied and interviewed Tanner in his last months and wrote a book about his life and his decision to commit assisted suicide.

‘The Last Doctor: Lessons in Living from the Front Lines of Medical Assistance in Dying’ by Dr.…

Dr. Jean Marmoreo, Johanna Schneller

Dr. Jean Marmoreo, a family doctor working in Toronto, recounts how she came to provide assisted dying through the stories of seven patients. Co-authored by journalist Johanna Schneller, this memoir explores the challenges that assisted dying practitioners faced following legalization of the procedure in Canada and was a finalist for the 2022 Balsillie Prize for Public Policy.

‘This is Assisted Dying: A Doctor’s Story of Empowering Patients at the End of Life’ by Stefanie…

Stefanie Green, MD

In this memoir, Dr. Stefanie Green chronicles her first year providing medical assistance in dying (MAID) immediately following the procedure’s legalization in 2016. Dr. Green is one of Canada’s leading MAID providers and is the founding president of the Canadian Association of MAID Assessors and Providers.

'Ana' photographs by Jessica Alva Piedra

Jessica Alva Piedra

Between 2019 and 2020, the Peruvian photographer Jessica Alva Piedra collaborated with the psychologist Ana Estrada to portray Estrada’s life with polymyositis and in palliative care. The resulting photos, a testimony to Estrada’s agency to represent her own body while advocating for the right to die, appeared in Estrada’s blog, in a photobook, and in media outlets around the world.

'How to die in Oregon' by Peter Richardson

Peter Richardson (director)

This documentary follows the stories of a number of individuals in Oregon who have chosen to, or are considering, making use of the state’s death with dignity law. Through these stories, it paints the legalization of assisted suicide in an extremely positive light, demonstrating the gratitude and relief of individuals who can legally access medications which will end their lives.

'Last Flight Home' by Ondi Timoner

Ondi Timoner (director)

Ondi Timoner tells the story of her father, Eli Timoner, a former entrepreneur and founder of an airline, who chooses to end his life by medical assistance in dying under California’s End of Life Option Act.