‘Manon: Le Dernier Droit’ by Benoît Dutrizac, André Saint-Pierre, Marie-Josée Lévesque, et al.

Manon Brunelle was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis early in life. The documentary tells the story of her life starting with a suicide attempt that placed her in a medically induced coma for over two months. Manon chose to attempt suicide because medical assistance in dying was not an option to her; she also believed she was a burden on those around her and felt life was not worth living in pain and with limited mobility. After she woke from her coma, she describes poor care conditions and the lengths she went through to avoid the pain of being moved: not requesting to be changed when she soiled herself in the night and not engaging in any activities that would cause her to be moved. The film ends with her journey to Switzerland where she completes the requirement for medical assistance in dying through the organization Dignitas before drinking the life-ending medications and passing away.

The documentary takes place in the Canadian context prior to Criminal Code 241.2 being added to the criminal code in 2016, permitting people like Manon Brunelle to request assistance in dying from the healthcare system. Manon’s story was referenced in multiple parliamentary contexts after the release of this documentary, including in the Canadian Parliament and Senate, and the Quebec National Assembly. The documentary makes a passionate call for medical assistance in dying to be legalized in Canada. The lack of options available to Manon is poignantly felt when she describes why she chose to attempt suicide herself, how arduous the process of recovering from a failed suicide attempt was, and a horrible hospitalization. Her plea in favour of medical assistance in dying includes her analysis that people are “egoists” for considering their own desires and ethics before considering the pain that terminally ill people face. The film also shows how difficult the experience of travelling to another country for assistance in dying is, for example how Manon must be lifted in and out of airplane seats and taxis before her eventual arrival.

Suggested Citation: Manon: Le Dernier Droit, Assisted Lab: A Digital Cultural Archive on Assisted Dying, September 2024 <link>