ained that after he had left the hospital, another doctor entered the woman’s room and ordered her family to leave the room. He then ordered an increase in her morphine dosage, but refused to confirm it in writing. Within minutes the woman was dead. The woman’s doctor demanded an explanation from his colleague. The doctor responded stating that it could’ve taken another week before she died and he needed the bed (Eads 93). Legislators are mainly concerned with what is called the “slippery slope” issue. Slippery slope is a term used to describe what may happen to society as a result of allowing something to happen. When applied to euthanasia, it means that if legislators legally allow physicians to end the lives of the terminally ill at their own requests, it will most likely not stop there (Hamel 35). People who become diagnosed with terminal diseases will also want to end their own life even though they have much more of life to live. It may result in an epidemic of mass suicide. The Hippocratic Oath states:“I will give no deadly medicine to anyone if asked, nor suggest such counsel; and in like manner I will not give to a woman an abortive remedy.”This clearly displays a prohibition of euthanasia. Many doctors swear by this oath upon receiving their degrees. They swear to attend to the best interests of his patients, as well as no to harm them. Depending on a doctor’s religious, moral, or political stances, his opinion on the best interests of his patient could vary significantly but according to the oath, he is forbidden to practice euthanasia (Baird 174). It is understandable that some patients in extreme duress may decide death is preferred to life. However, allowing physicians to participate in such an act is not right. The American Medical Association’s current code of Medical Ethics states, “Euthanasia is fundamentally incompatible with the physi...
