“I have been assured by a very knowing American of my acquaintance in London, that a young healthy child well nursed, is, at a year old, a most delicious nourishing and wholesome food, whether stewed, roasted, baked, or boiled; and I make no doubt that it will equally serve in a fricasie, or a ragoust.”
-Jonathan Swift, A Modest Proposal
Jonathon Swift, widely considered the father of satire, penned “A Modest Proposal” in 1729 with the intention that it would be met with horror and revulsion so as to drive home the abject immorality of what transgressions the British colonizers were committing against the Crown’s Irish subjects.
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| New research suggest medically assisted dying could result in substantial savings. But the study's author says costs should not be considered when individual patients consider the option. (Chris Kreussling) |
It’s a great little ditty, the synopsis of which is that the Irish should remedy their poverty by hawking their children’s flesh as a delicacy to noblemen.
The essay obviously struck a chord, as it’s arguably the most infamous piece of satire in world history.
Fast forward to 2025, and we’ve got the chief lawmaker in Colorado literally promoting abortion as a cost-savings measure so the state won’t have to pay out as much for Medicaid.
If you think that’s hyperbole,
Here’s the video.
Via The Blaze (emphasis added):
“Senate Bill 183 — a consequence of Colorado voters' overwhelming support last year for Colorado Amendment 79, which set the stage for the use of public funds for abortion — passed the state Senate in a 22-12 party-line vote on March 12.
Prior to the bill passing the committee on health and human services on Tuesday, Colorado House Speaker Julie McCluskie (D), a prime sponsor of the legislation, indicated that the use of taxpayer funds to kill babies could save the state a little bit of money.
"That savings comes from the averted births that will not occur because abortions happened instead," McCluskie said in a video shared to social media. "So a birth is more expensive than an abortion — so the saving comes in Medicaid births that will not occur."
"This bill will actually decrease costs for our health care policy and financing department, our Medicaid expenditures, in both this year and out years as the savings from averted births outweigh the costs of covering reproductive health care for all Coloradans," continued McCluskie, who was endorsed last year by Planned Parenthood.”
Canada relies on the same justification for the institutionalized killing of its own citizens, in this case the mentally ill, terminally ill, indigent, and elderly — anyone who’s likely to be a financial burden on the state.
Via CBC, 2017 (emphasis added):
“New research suggests medically assisted dying could result in substantial savings across Canada's health-care system.
Doctor-assisted death could reduce annual health-care spending across the country by between $34.7 million and $136.8 million, according to a report published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal on Monday.
The savings exceedingly outweigh the estimated $1.5 to $14.8 million in direct costs associated with implementing medically assisted dying.”
Ben Bartee is an independent Bangkok-based American journalist with opposable thumbs.
