Jacques Desrosiers, MD, 71, died from cancer with dignity and grace, and with his family by his side, on Thursday, July 3, 2025. A courageous and pragmatic man, Jacques chose to die on his own terms, the way he lived his life, choosing the support of MAID.

He is survived by Anne Louise, his partner and wife of 33 years; his children, Anna (Thomas Robertson) and Luc; sisters, Lise Desrosiers and Andrée Desrosiers; father-in-law, Vincent Ihasz; sister-in-law, Janet MacLean (Grant); and much-loved nieces and nephews.

Born in Montreal to Margaret (née Gordon) and Jacques Desrosiers Sr., Jacques moved to Halifax as a child. Apart from several years in PEI after graduating from medical school, he stayed close to home -- raising his own family two doors down from the house he grew up in on Cambridge Street.

After high school, Jacques enrolled in the Foundation Year Program at the University of King’s College where he completed a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology. When it became clear medicine was his true path, he pursued a Bachelor of Science. Jacques’ education shaped him into who he was — a voracious reader, a lover of ideas and politics, and a champion of people’s rights.

A proud graduate of Dalhousie Medical School’s Class of ’84, Jacques loved his work as a family physician. He spent more than 40 years celebrating his patients’ joys and weathering hardships with them. It is in many ways no surprise that Jacques combined his practice of medicine with his steadfast dedication to equality, becoming a staunch defender of reproductive rights in Canada.

In the early 1990s, Jacques started work at the Dr. Henry Morgentaler Clinic in Halifax -- Nova Scotia’s first private free standing abortion clinic. From there, he assumed leadership of the provincial clinic located in the Victoria General Hospital, where he was able to develop a positive, safe, and reassuring environment for Atlantic Canadians seeking abortion care. Upon his retirement, clinic staff renamed it after him (The Rose Clinic).

Jacques’s greatest achievement, though, was the love he shared with his family. From early morning Dusty Springfield dance parties with Anna to fun wrestles with Luc -- Jacques cherished it all. As well, he and Anne Louise enjoyed yearly trips to St. Maarten and eventually made their family cottage a second home and Jacques’s happy place.

He never sought the limelight. Jacques worked and loved with uncompromising commitment and principle. He changed the lives of many patients, tens of thousands of women and girls, and those who loved him.

Jacques and his family extend their heartfelt thanks to the members of the many healthcare teams involved in his care. They are deeply grateful for their compassion, expertise and guidance which helped them to move through this challenging time together as a family.

A celebration of life/gathering of remembrance will be held Thursday, October 16, 7pm to 9pm, St. Mary’s Boat Club, 1641 Fairfield Road, Halifax, NS. In Jacques’ honour, donations can be made to the Rose Clinic --https://my.qe2foundation.ca/shop/viewitem/womens-clinic, or to the Prescott Group, which provides jobs and connections for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities -- https://prescottgroup.ca .