Voluntary Euthanasia and the Risks of Abuse (IN: The Least Worst Death: Essays in Bioethics on the end of Life, by Margaret Pabst Battin)

In this article the author explores two questions concerning the legalization of euthanasia & physician-assisted suicide: 1) Will there be abuse, & if so, 2) precisely what kind? Throughout the article, she considers in detail the risk-of-abuse arguments (commonly known as slippery slope or wedge arguments) often presented by those opposed to legalization. Her focus is on arguments involving the risk of abuse, the types of abuse that may occur, a& nd the possible protections against these abuses.