Both right-to-die advocates and opponents of euthanasia are waiting for the B.C. Supreme Court to rule on a challenge to the ban of doctor-assisted suicide.
The court ruling is expected to come down Friday at 11:30 a.m. local time.
At the centre of the challenge is patient Gloria Taylor, whose struggle with ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease compelled her to fight the current law.
The 63-year-old Taylor, along with the B.C. Civil Liberties Association, wants the court to declare that the federal law prohibiting doctor-assisted suicide infringes on their rights, as outlined in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
Taylor became involved in the lawsuit in 2011, when her symptoms worsened. She is now confined to a wheelchair and requires a feeding tube.
Despite her body "failing her," Taylor remains in good spirits, said BCCLA litigation director Grace Pastine.
Pastine stressed that Taylor does not want a doctor-assisted suicide, but simply wants the option of asking for such a death.
"That is not to say that Gloria is ready to die -- she's not," Pastine said in an interview with The Canadian Press. "That will make her life now more comfortable and will give her great piece of mind."
Throughout the trial, BCCLA lawyer Joe Arvay said evidence showed that people who desired an assisted death were already seeking illegal help to get it.
He likened the process to back-alley abortions that often occurred in Canada before the laws banning abortion were struck down in 1988.
Donnaree Nygard, a lawyer representing the federal government, told the court that while personal accounts were emotionally moving, striking down the law poses immense risks to the elderly, depressed and disabled.
In September 1993, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled against an assisted suicide for ALS patient Sue Rodriguez.
But both advocates and legal experts say much as changed since the landmark case.
CTV Legal Analyst Steven Skurka told CTV News Channel on Friday he expects the court to overturn the law based on the experience of other countries where the practice is permitted.
Skurka said other countries' experiences will show judges that assisted suicide can be permitted without endangering the vulnerable.
"Many things have changed since then," said Skurka in reference to the Rodriguez case.
"What's different is there is legitimacy for the notion of doctor-assisted suicide in the international community. There are a number of states in the U.S. that permit it, as well as countries in Europe that permit it," he said.
"It's proven to work, to operate properly and that it's not abused. That's really what's changed more than anything," he said.
Skurka also said that a number safeguards could be put in place to make sure the elderly and disabled are protected.
For example, accredited medical practitioners could be required to supervise assisted suicides every step of the way, said Skurka.
No matter the outcome of Friday's ruling, Skurka said he believes the case will eventually reach the nation's highest court.
"It has such national importance it has to go the Supreme Court of Canada. The losing side will inevitably appeal," he said.
With files from The Canadian Press
