Canada weighs paying doctors a premium for euthanasia
The slippery slope is real. Once the state gets in the business of killing off its citizens via euthanasia, the brutal logic of economics works its way through the system. In Canada, which legalized euthanasia just over a year ago, one of the most important forums for political discussion, Maclean's Magazine, published an article arguing that doctors ought to be paid a premium for killing off euthanizing terminal patients.
And of course, it was all so reasonable in tone. It really is a lot of work for the doctors, you see.
Most providers need to meet with their patient a couple times before the procedure. They need to review their medical history, which in many cases is lengthy and complicated, involving several specialists and care providers. They need to counsel the family, sometimes for hours and over multiple visits if some members oppose the procedure or feel conflicted. They need to pick up the drugs at the pharmacy and return the extra medication when they're done. And they often need to travel long distances to meet the patient in their home. The amount of time it all takes varies wildly from patient to patient, says Daws, but most providers say it takes a minimum of three and a half hours. In that time, a family doctor could earn double the MAID rate by doing routine office work, and many specialists could earn triple that amount at their day job.
So the solution obviously is to incentivize them.
The state incentivizing doctors to kill patients. And this is OK?