Euthanasia, Ethics and Public Policy

Part I. Definitions: 1. Euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide; 2. Intended v. foreseen life-shortening; Part II. The Ethical Debate: Human Life, Autonomy, Legal Hypocrisy, and the 'Slippery Slope'; 3. The value of human life; 4. The value of autonomy; 5. Legal hypocrisy?; 6. The slippery slope arguments; Part III. The Dutch Experience: 7. The guidelines; 8. The first survey: the incidence of 'euthanasia'; 9. Breach of the guidelines; 10. The slide towards NVAE; 11. The second survey; 12. The Dutch in denial?; 13. The Euthanasia Act and the Code of Practice; 14. Effective control since 2002?; 15. Continuing concerns; 16. A right to physician-assisted suicide by stopping eating and drinking?; 17. Assisted suicide for the elderly with 'completed lives'; Part IV. Belgium: 18. The Belgian Legislation; 19. The lack of effective control; Part V. Australia: 20. The Northern Territory: ROTTI; Part VI. The United States: 21. The United States: Oregon and six other jurisdictions; 22. The US Supreme Court: Glucksberg and Vacco; Part VII. Canada: 23. The Supreme Court of Canada: the Carter case; 24. Canada's euthanasia legislation; 25. Conclusion.