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Medical Jurisprudence Commons

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Human Rights Law

Mary J. Shariff

Selected Works

Palliative care

Publication Year

Articles 1 - 2 of 2

Full-Text Articles in Medical Jurisprudence

Assisted Death And The Slippery Slope—Finding Clarity Amid Advocacy, Convergence, And Complexity, Mary J. Shariff May 2012

Assisted Death And The Slippery Slope—Finding Clarity Amid Advocacy, Convergence, And Complexity, Mary J. Shariff

Mary J. Shariff

This paper unpacks the slippery slope argument as it pertains to assisted death. The assisted-death regimes of the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Switzerland, and the states of Washington and Oregon are discussed and examined with respect to the slippery slope analytical rubric. In addition to providing a preliminary explanation of how the slippery slope argument has been academically defined and constructed, the paper examines assisted-death models from the perspective of considering what might exist at the top and at the bottom of the slippery slope. It also explores the nature and scope of safeguards implemented to avoid slippage, and shows that …


Palliative Care: An Enforceable Canadian Human Right?, Yude M. Henteleff, Mary J. Shariff, Darcy L. Macpherson Aug 2011

Palliative Care: An Enforceable Canadian Human Right?, Yude M. Henteleff, Mary J. Shariff, Darcy L. Macpherson

Mary J. Shariff

This article lays out a series of approaches for establishing an enforceable human right to palliative care in Canada. The article first examines international human rights instruments to which Canada is a signatory, and concludes that they offer limited assistance to palliative care advocates. The article then examines two promising Charter challenges. The first, based on section 15, argues that since palliative care is provided unevenly to those who require it, the equality provisions of the Charter could compel equitable provision of palliative care to Canadians with life-limiting illnesses. The second is based on section 7, and argues that failure …