Tag: health services

Canada Has Banned Every Other Elective Surgery, But People Can Still Kill Babies in Abortions

Micaiah Bilger – March 27, 2020

Non-essential medical care, with the exception of abortions, is being postponed across Canada as hospitals deal with the coronavirus outbreak.

Though there is nothing essential about aborting an unborn baby, Canadian provinces and a number of American states are allowing elective abortions to continue during the crisis.

CTV News reports health leaders in all of the Canadian provinces and territories recently declared abortions to be “an essential service.” In Canada, elective abortions are allowed for any reason up to birth.

According to the report, every province and territory gets to make decisions about what health services will be postponed or canceled. The news outlet contacted health officials in each area to ask if abortions are included in their restrictions during the coronavirus. All of them said no.

Kerry Williamson, a spokesperson for Alberta Health Services, claimed abortions are “urgent/emergent” and therefore necessary.

“With regards to surgical abortions performed in AHS hospitals, these are not considered elective surgeries,” Williamson said.

In Quebec, Health Minister Danielle McCann admitted that abortions are a woman’s choice, but the province has no plans to restrict them during the health crisis.

Health leaders in other parts of the country said much the same thing.

https://www.lifenews.com

‘Assisted suicide an NHS moneysaver’, ‘disturbing’ report says

Christian Insitute – March 18, 2020

Academics in Scotland have been criticised for suggesting that legalising assisted suicide would financially benefit the NHS.

Ethicist Dr David Shaw and healthcare economist Professor Alec Morton say it would be “irresponsible not to consider” the economic costs of denying assisted suicide.

Dr Gordon Macdonald, Chief Executive of Care Not Killing, called the report “highly disturbing”.

Dr Macdonald said: “Very quickly the argument moves from that of personal autonomy to doctors and nurses making value judgments about the quality of other people’s lives while seeking to save money and tackle so-called ‘bed blocking’ in health services.”

He cited the situation in the US states of Oregon and Washington, where “a majority of those ending their lives cite fear of being a burden on their families and finances.

“We have also seen cancer patients denied life-saving and life-extending treatments due to their cost but offered the drugs to end their lives”.

The study claimed legalization would be positive, as helping some patients to kill themselves would free up resources for other patients.

The researchers also said the controversial practice should be legalized because where patients die naturally, their organs deteriorate and are less likely to be viable for transplant.

In the Netherlands and Belgium it is already possible for organs to be donated following an assisted suicide.

https://www.christian.org.uk