SUICIDE'S SLIPPERY SLOPE.(MAIN)

Byline: Arthur Caplan

During the past year, the most momentous change in public policy with

respect to health care was the legalization of physician-assisted suicide in the state of Oregon.

Those who favor the landmark Oregon law insist that doctors can perform

euthanasia without serious abuses. And, indeed, the Oregon law contains many protections to ensure that no one is put to death without their consent. But a recent case in Holland, the country that has the most experience with physician-assisted suicide, raises the question of exactly how steep the slopes surrounding such laws actually are.

In Holland, as long as a …