Human life is devalued when a price is put on people's lives or their care
Executive Director,
Euthanasia Prevention Coalition
A report from the UK government's National Audit Office on the financial sustainability of the NHS - National Health Services in the UK, that was released on July 23, 2024 may lead to their government pushing to legalize assisted suicide.
The conclusion of the NHS financial sustainability report states:
The scale of challenge facing the NHS today and foreseeable in the years ahead is unprecedented.
When we consider how the health needs of the population look set to increase, we are concerned that the NHS may be working at the limits of a system which might break before it is again able to provide patients with care that meets standards for timeliness and accessibility.
An article in The Standard states about the NHS financial sustainability report:
The report is the ninth of its kind by the NAO, and the first to be published since February 2020.
Experts said its findings depict “a picture of systemic failures and inefficient decision-making”.
The report warned that NHS England’s financial position is “worsening” due to a “combination of long-standing and recent issues, including failure to invest in the estate, inflationary pressures, and the cost of post-pandemic recovery”.
The article also pointed out that the UK is undergoing a demographic shift towards an aging population.
It said there is scope for NHS England to “make better use” of its funds, but long-term sustainability depends on how the Government addresses the “steeply increasing demand for healthcare”.
It added that the country’s changing demographics “will continue to create significant additional demand for NHS services” and warned “people are living longer and spending more years in ill-health”.
According to the report, the NHS received £153 Billion and the combined deficit in the system was £1.4 Billion which doesn't take into account the increased funding that was already invested into the NHS system to balance the funding.
Legalizing euthanasia and/or assisted suicide to control the cost of health care leads to dangerous outcomes, as has happened in Canada.
When human lives are deemed to be "better off dead" or "costing too much" then people with healthcare needs, especially people with disabilities, will be urged to "choose" death. Subtle pressure is often enough to cause a significant shift in healthcare.
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| Tracy Poleczuk with her husband. |
An article by Matt Gilmour that was published by CTV news Montreal concerned Tracy Polewczuk, a woman who lives with Spina Bifida, who on two separate occasions was urged to request euthanasia by a medical professional without Tracy initiating the request.
Both Canadian women live with disabilities and feel that their lives have been devalued by the pressure to "choose" death over life.
Polewczuk told Gilmour in the interview that:
"Pain sucks. We all agree. It's terrible. I'm in pain 24/7. It never stops. I can survive that. I cannot survive being treated like a sack of meat,"
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| Heather Hancock |
While Hancock told Reinl in the interview that:
A nurse was helping her into the bathroom at night, during a lengthy bout of care for muscular spasms in 2019, when the carer crossed a line into the unthinkable.People with disabilities are right to be concerned.
'You should do the right thing and consider MAiD,' said the nurse, referring to the country's Medical Assistance in Dying program.
'You're being selfish. You're not living, you're merely existing.'
Hancock, now 56, says she was 'gobsmacked' but stood her ground, telling the nurse that her life had value, even if she spent four fifths of it in a wheelchair.
We fear that the NHS financial crisis may create pressure for the new UK government, led by long-time assisted suicide activist Keir Starmer, to push the UK government to legalize assisted suicide as soon as possible.
Human life is devalued when a price is put on people's lives or their care.
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