A top Scottish church leader has warned that legalising assisted suicide could be viewed as a “cost-cutting” measure to support the United Kingdom’s struggling socialised healthcare system.
Rt Rev Iain Greenshields, moderator of the Church of Scotland, has expressed concern that, in light of the recent expansion of assisted suicide in Canada, any legalisation could lead to its widespread use and even be used to save money for the consistently cash-strapped National Health Service (NHS).
“Participants in a research study reported that medical assistance in dying (the term used in Canada) had consumed resources that would otherwise be used to provide palliative care,” Rev Greenshields said in comments reported by The Telegraph.
“Is this really how we want our precious caring resources to be directed? Given the strain on healthcare resources, we are also concerned that assisted suicide could be viewed as a cost-cutting measure.”
“We are concerned that if assisted suicide is legalised, our society’s attitudes toward older people and people with disabilities will become more utilitarian over time.”
According to the paper, it is estimated that legalising assisted suicide could save the NHS £84 million per year.
While committing suicide is not illegal in the United Kingdom, encouraging or assisting another person’s suicide is punishable by up to 14 years in prison, according to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), which “reflects the seriousness of the offence.”