Concerns Rise Over Cost-Saving Potential of Assisted Suicide in the UK

Debate Intensifies Over Potential Costs and Ethics of Assisted Suicide in the UK

As discussions around the legalisation of assisted suicide gain momentum in the UK, concerns are surfacing about the potential financial implications and ethical repercussions. A recent government report suggests that permitting assisted suicide could lead to substantial savings for Britain’s healthcare system, estimated at £59.6 million, alongside reductions in benefit payouts.

Critics, such as Care Not Killing, argue that this financial incentive might disproportionately affect vulnerable groups, including the elderly, disabled, and terminally ill, who might feel pressured to opt for assisted suicide to alleviate their perceived burden on society and the National Health Service (NHS).

Dr. Gordon Macdonald, CEO of Care Not Killing, highlights a study from Oregon, USA, which inspired the current legislative proposal. The study indicates that many opt for assisted suicide due to concerns about being a burden on loved ones, caregivers, or their financial situation. He also pointed to Canada’s experience, where health budget savings followed the introduction of assisted suicide, and organ transplant availability increased in the Netherlands, aligning with some British academics’ views on the potential benefits.

Dr. Macdonald advocates for improving the UK’s palliative care system, noting, “At a time when we have seen how fragile our cash-strapped health care system is, how the hospice movement has a £150 million blackhole in its budget, and when up to one in four Brits who would benefit from palliative care but aren’t currently receiving it, introducing so-called assisted dying would be an incredibly dangerous policy that would put pressure on vulnerable, elderly and disabled people to end their lives prematurely.” He added, “We need better care not killing.”

Caroline Ansell of the Christian advocacy group CARE and former MP, expressed her concerns regarding the “troubling” cost-saving potential of assisted suicide. She stated, “Legalising this practice would raise the spectre of patients being encouraged, directly or tacitly, to end their lives due to the prohibitive costs of care.” She urged MPs to consider the dangers observed in places like Canada, cautioning that “people on the margins of society will be most at risk under an assisted suicide regime.”

The government document, released on Friday, projects the number of assisted suicides that might occur annually if legalisation proceeds. It estimates between 164 and 787 cases in the first year, with figures potentially rising to between 1,042 and 4,559 annually by the tenth year.