Death panels' strike in Britain

Remember that National Health System the Brits were so eager to celebrate during the Olympic games opening ceremony last summer?

(Image: AP)

The glorification of government-run nationalized health care was a bit baffling for for many, especially those such as myself who have first-hand experience with their health care system.

I could write about my tale of woe, but NRO's Kathryn Jean Lopez points out a much more disturbing account of the National Health System from a concerned mother with a disabled daughter.  As columnist Ian Birrell writes, "all too many people with disabilities end up being killed by the health service – the very institution supposedly dedicated to saving their lives."

Via The Guardian:

The latest case is distressing and disturbing: Tina Papalabropoulos, a young woman scarcely older than my own child dying after a series of blunders by two NHS organisations – a hospital and out-of-hours GP service – in Essex. Quite rightly, her mother, Christine, is angry. “When your child becomes ill and you need professional help from doctors, you and your child are looked at and you can see their mind working, ‘Is there any point in trying to save this child’s life?’ You can see that they think, ‘This child has an existence and not a life’,” she said.

The loss of this young life was a needless tragedy. But it is far from an isolated one. Each week 24 disabled people are killed by such prejudiced presumptions; indeed, there was a case at my local hospital recently. These shocking figures are based on a government-commissioned inquiryinto one region of the country, which found people with disabilities 37% more likely to be killed by incompetence or inadequate care – and their lives end on average 16 years earlier than they should. The more serious the disabilities, the higher the risk.

Remember how "crazy" Sarah Palin was for suggesting such "death panel" decisions would be handed down with more government involvement in health care?  Yeah...