A senior Vatican official has condemned as "wicked" the assisted suicide of Brittany Maynard, an American woman suffering from terminal brain cancer. Brittany Maynard, 29, died in Portland, Oregon on Saturday having announced her intention to self-administer a cocktail of fatal drugs legally provided by her doctors in the US state, where she had moved with her husband after being given six months to live in January. Anticipating a painful end to her life, she had announced her intention to end it in a video seen by millions of web users around the world that sparked a national debate in the United States over the right of the terminally ill to die with dignity at a time of their choosing. However, her decision has angered Vatican officials, who said, "It is a wicked thing because it (suicide) is saying no both to one's own life and to everything which signifies respect for our mission in this world and towards those closest to us."