Response to “The slippery slope argument and medical assistance in dying”

I hope Dr. Reggler’s letter¹ will help to dispel once and for all the “slippery slope” argument. Surely, as physicians we can discuss the issue of medically assisted dying in a scientific manner with reference to available data as Dr. Reggler has pointed out.

With respect to the issue of “error,” Dr. Wootton² is correct in stating that there is no way to ascertain error. Whose error is it when a competent, suffering individual with a terrible disease makes that final decision to end his or her life (perhaps a month or two earlier than natural death might occur) in a peaceful fashion surrounded by family? It is certainly not an error of the physician. Those of us who do provide MAiD are on a steep learning curve, and each patient teaches us something new. The errors that we seek to avoid are those related to the application of Bill C-14. It is a process that is well scrutinized.