Winnipeg woman’s obituary says no flowers, asks for letters to politicians instead

WINNIPEG —  An 89-year-old Winnipeg diabetic who had recently been diagnosed with stage four breast cancer has chosen to end her life by refusing
to take her insulin.

And in lieu of flowers, her family is asking people to write politicians to show support for broadly defined right-to-die legislation, and to urge legislators to act soon.

According to an obituary published in the Winnipeg Free Press, Jess Bowness died March 3rd from complications related to her decision to refuse insulin.

In the obituary, her family says they supported her decision to die on her own terms.

They also criticized the legal and medical vacuum that still exists around the right to die, noting her death “took longer and was more distressful than it needed to be” and there was “more discomfort and distress than needed to be.”

The Supreme Court of Canada struck down a ban on physician-assisted dying last year but gave the new Liberal federal government until June 6 to come up with replacement legislation.