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The Sunday Magazine·The Sunday Edition

Meet the judge behind the ruling that gave Gloria Taylor the right to die

When she was a BC Supreme Court judge, Lynn Smith made history by striking down Canada's doctor-assisted suicide law. Judge Smith, who is now retired, was Laura's guest for a feature conversation in November 2015.
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Gloria Taylor is shown in Vancouver, on June 18, 2012. Judge Lynn Smith of the BC Supreme Court rendered a decision in Ms. Taylor's favour, striking down Canada's ban on doctor-assisted suicide. (Darryl Dyck/Canadian Press)
Sunday Edition13:45Meet the judge behind the ruling that gave Gloria Taylor the right to die

Judge Lynn Smith is no stranger to breaking new ground. She was among a handful of women in her law school class at the University of British Columbia in 1970. She was the first ever Law Clerk for the BC Appeal Court, and she was one of the first women to become the Dean of a law school, when she was appointed at UBC in 1991. 

Judge Lynn Smith
When she was a B.C Supreme Court judge, Lynn Smith made history. She struck down Canada's ban on doctor-assisted suicide, paving the way for the Supreme Court of Canada to follow suit and setting in motion the legal and political battle that brought about the government's new assisted dying legislation. 

Judge Smith, who is now retired, was Laura's guest for a feature conversation in November 2015.

Click the button above to hear the interview. 

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