Avril K. Henry (5 April 1935 – 20 April 2016) was an English professor of medieval culture and activist for the legalisation of euthanasia. She died by suicide in 2016.
Biography
Henry was born in
Lincoln, Lincolnshire
Lincoln () is a cathedral city and district in Lincolnshire, England, of which it is the county town. In the 2021 Census, the city's district had a population of 103,813. The 2021 census gave the urban area of Lincoln, including Bracebridge He ...
to
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the Air force, air and space force of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. It was formed towards the end of the World War I, First World War on 1 April 1918, on the merger of t ...
officer Robert Charles Henry and Eileen Florence Whattam Henry.
Henry worked as a professor of English
medieval
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with the fall of the West ...
culture at the
University of Exeter
The University of Exeter is a research university in the West Country of England, with its main campus in Exeter, Devon. Its predecessor institutions, St Luke's College, Exeter School of Science, Exeter School of Art, and the Camborne School of ...
. She researched the theory of
typology
A typology is a system of classification used to organize things according to similar or dissimilar characteristics. Groups of things within a typology are known as "types".
Typologies are distinct from taxonomies in that they primarily address t ...
.
Henry campaigned for the legalisation of voluntary
euthanasia
Euthanasia (from : + ) is the practice of intentionally ending life to eliminate pain and suffering.
Different countries have different Legality of euthanasia, euthanasia laws. The British House of Lords Select committee (United Kingdom), se ...
. She died by
suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death.
Risk factors for suicide include mental disorders, physical disorders, and substance abuse. Some suicides are impulsive acts driven by stress (such as from financial or ac ...
at her home in
Brampford Speke
Brampford Speke ( ) is a small village in Devon, to the north of Exeter. The population is 419. It is located on red sandstone cliffs overlooking the river Exe. Its sister village of Upton Pyne lies to its southwest, and Stoke Canon is across th ...
,
Devon
Devon ( ; historically also known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel to the north, Somerset and Dorset to the east, the English Channel to the south, and Cornwall to the west ...
, near
Exeter
Exeter ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and the county town of Devon in South West England. It is situated on the River Exe, approximately northeast of Plymouth and southwest of Bristol.
In Roman Britain, Exeter w ...
, on 20 April 2016, aged 81. Her home had been raided by police the previous week after they were tipped off by
Interpol
The International Criminal Police Organization – INTERPOL (abbreviated as ICPO–INTERPOL), commonly known as Interpol ( , ; stylized in allcaps), is an international organization that facilitates worldwide police cooperation and crime cont ...
that she had bought a euthanasia kit from Mexico.
Selected publications
*''Biblia Pauperum''. Scolar, Aldershot, 1987;
*''The Mirour of Mans Saluacioune: a Middle English translation of Speculum humanae salvationis: a critical edition of the fifteenth-century manuscript illustrated from Der Spiegel der Meschen Behaltnis, Speyer, Drach, c. 1475;'' University of Pennsylvania Press, 1987;
*''The Eton Roundels: Eton College MS 177 'Figurae Bibliorum' A Colour Facsimile With Transcription, Translation and Commentary'';
References
1935 births
2016 deaths
2016 suicides
Suicides in England
People from Lincoln, England
Euthanasia activists
Academics of the University of Exeter
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