• Angela María Guevara B and Paulina Taboada R.
• Facultad de Medicina, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile.
• Rev Med Chil. 2022 Feb 1; 150 (2): 248-255.

AbstractThe study analyzes the phenomenon of the "slippery slope" of assisted death in The Netherlands, Belgium, and Colombia after the depenalization or legalization of this practice. Data analysis was performed reviewing the evidence published in scientific journals and in the governments' official reports. We verified a progressive broadening of the limits initially established by the law for the practice of assisted death in these three countries. This confirms the occurrence of the "slippery slope". Also, the exponential increase in the number of assisted deaths in these three countries after the legalization indirectly suggests the presence of the "slippery slope". An analysis of the anthropological and ethical implications of assisted death highlights that its moral assessment should not be exclusively based on consequentialist arguments. Also, a prudential interpretation of the slippery slope argument in the legal debate about assisted death should be incorporated. We conclude that the moral evaluation of assisted death cannot be exclusively grounded on its negative social consequences, but rather on the lack of respect for basic human values such as life and the intrinsic dignity of a person. The verification of the "slippery slope" in these three countries should be regarded as an alarm for an eventual legalization of euthanasia in Chile.

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