Terminally ill cancer sufferer, 29, takes life

The woman with brain cancer who revived a national debate in the US about physician-assisted suicide ended her life on Saturday by swallowing lethal drugs made available under an Oregon law allowing terminally ill people to choose when to die.

Maynard, who would have turned 30 on November 19, had been in the spotlight since publicising that she and her husband, Dan Diaz, moved to Portland from Northern California so she could take advantage of the Oregon law. She told journalists she planned to die on November 1, shortly after her husband’s birthday, but reserved the right to move the date forward or push it back.

Maynard ended her suffering right on schedule after hinting at a possible delay in a video released last week.