Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Abortion: Not Just for Babies Anymore

You could call it post-birth abortion, if you like.

In Britain, a government agency evaluates new medical products for their "cost effectiveness" before citizens can get access to them. The agency has concluded that $45,000 is the most worth paying for products that extend a person's life by one "quality-adjusted" year. (By their calculus, a year combating cancer is worth less than a year in perfect health.)

Here in the U.S., President-elect Barack Obama and House Democrats embrace the creation of a similar "comparative effectiveness" entity that will do research on drugs and medical devices. They claim that they don't want this to morph into a British-style agency that restricts access to medical products based on narrow cost criteria, but provisions tucked into the fiscal stimulus bill betray their real intentions.

The centerpiece of their plan is $1.1 billion of the $825 billion stimulus package for studies to compare different drugs and devices to "save money and lives." Report language accompanying the House stimulus bill says that "more expensive" medical products "will no longer be prescribed." The House bill also suggests that the new research should be used to create "guidelines" to direct doctors' treatment of difficult, high-cost medical problems.

--WSJ

So....what's YOUR mother's life worth?

HT: The Hatted One

6 comments:

Amy said...

Waiting for apologies and/or excuses from the pro-socialized medicine crowd.

Shoebox said...

Amy, you won't get one. You see these folks never thinks these things impact them...it's fine as long as the bad stuff that happens, happens to someone else...see also: tax increases

Amy said...

Shoebox:

I suppose. Also, since they somehow think it's humane to off someone rather than provide medical treatment, it doesn't bother them.

Sure bothers me, though.

Anonymous said...

Quietus anyone?

Anonymous said...

I hope everyone who supports this gets, or has someone they love, get a disease with an expensive treatment that won't be allowed anymore based on the new Congressional guidelines.

GOR said...

Sounds like what Dick Morris was warning about in his article: "The Obama Presidency: Here comes Socialism" (thehill.com on 1/20)...