When Claire Brosseau wakes up, she doubts she'll make it through the day. Though physically healthy, the New York Post reports that the 49-year-old actress suffers from severe bipolar and post-traumatic stress disorders.
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"It's unbearable," Brosseau said as she stood outside the Ontario Superior Court of Justice on May 4.
The Actress Says She's Forced to Seek Euthanasia
The Montreal-based Brosseau has starred in films like If I Were You and the television series 11.22.63. She admits she has an "embarrassment of riches" in her life, including friends, family, and a dog named Olive. Yet she says she hasn't left her home in months and can't endure the "unrelenting suffering" anymore.
She seeks help through the Canadian courts to assist in euthanizing herself, but earlier attempts have failed. She has tried overdosing, slashing her wrists, and eating peanuts, to which she is severely allergic.
"This is an extraordinary remedy which we are pursuing, but the situation that Claire finds herself in is also extraordinary," said Brosseau's lawyer, Michael Fenrick.
Doctors Believe "She Can Get Well"
The law currently bans assisted euthanasia because Brosseau is physically healthy. The actress' family was upset when she shared her plan with them.
"I was furious. I really saw it as giving up," said her sister.
Her mother added, "No mother ever wants to lose a child before them, but no mother wants to see incredible suffering.''
But one of Brosseau's psychiatrists believes "she can get well." The other added that she doesn't think assisted euthanasia "is the best or only choice for her."
Yet the actress explains that since she was 8, she believed that "it would be better for me and for everyone else if I weren't here." She wrote in an open letter last year that she's tried countless medications and therapies, but none have worked.
In 2024, she and the advocacy group Dying with Dignity sued the Canadian government over the Medical Aid in Dying law. The suit states the law excludes those who have a mental illness instead of a physical one, which violates the constitution.
Brosseau wants a constitutional exemption to euthanize herself despite having no physical ailments. She is single, has no children, and plans to donate her organs.
