May 15, 2006
No such thing as free medicine, or free speech
Edward Atkinson, a 75-year-old anti-abortion activist, was jailed recently for 28 days for sending photographs of aborted foetuses to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in King's Lynn, Norfolk. That draconian sentence was not deemed punishment enough: the hospital has banned Mr Atkinson from receiving the hip replacement operation he was expecting.Posted by Karol at May 15, 2006 10:08 AM | TrackBack
Technorati Tags: Socialized+medicine Socialized+Healthcare
How very Cuban of them.
Posted by: Gib at May 15, 2006 04:17 PMSo what's the connection between aborted fetuses and hip replacements?
Rather vindictive, no?
Posted by: Dave at May 15, 2006 04:49 PMVindictive indeed. What are the actual charges against him? Harassment of some kind? I presume that just sending pictures of fetuses through the mail is not illegal...
Posted by: Sam L. at May 15, 2006 05:25 PMJust in case you didn't realise, he'll probably get it done at the James Paget Hospital in Great Yarmouth, about 35 miles away. I don't get the logic, but if the guy hates them enough to harrass them about what they do, perhaps he should go to Paget.
Posted by: bryan at May 15, 2006 05:46 PMps, I do think the ban is wrong in this case. I've know the zero tolerance most hospitals employ in the UK, and it seems most effective when it involves the higher ups in the food chain.
Posted by: bryan at May 15, 2006 05:52 PMKarol, stated myself badly elsewhere. You call a guy wearing a tasteless T-shirt a moron, but with this guy, it's freedom of speech? I wonder why this guy isn't a moron and the T-shirt guy issue a matter of freedom.
Posted by: bryan at May 16, 2006 03:31 AMFree speech means that the hospital can point and laugh at the guy and call him a moron all they want. It doesn't mean depriving him of healthcare, especially since the backward way of socialized care tries to pretend that everyone is treated equally.
Posted by: Karol at May 16, 2006 10:22 AMA common sign in this country (and others) "The management may refuse entry/service to anyone.. blah blah.." This guy has, pardon any pun, shot himself in the foot by alienating his local hospital management. As I said, one town over is where he'll probably go, to another hospital.
Posted by: bryan at May 16, 2006 08:31 PM
