Doctors can deny treatment if patients have 'wrong' political opinions

(Pixabay)

Doctors have been told by those who regulate their profession that they can deny treatment to patients who have the wrong opinion.

About just about anything.

It's happening in the United Kingdom where the National Health Service is expanding the authority of rules that already – and logically – allow doctors to decline to provide non-critical treatment to patients who are violent.

But the expansion is raising eyebrows.

At the Twitchy site, which aggregates Twitter comments, was the headline, "But 'health care is a human right!' U.K.'s NHS has decided that staff can refuse to treat patients who make 'homophobic, sexist, or racist remarks.'"

The commentary continued, "Bernie Sanders and other Medicare for All proponents love to bust out the U.K. as a shining example of how wonderful and inclusive and universal universal health care can be. Well, here's what the NHS is up to these days."

Sky News reported new regulations that will go into effect in just weeks will make big changes.

"Currently, staff can refuse to treat non-critical patients who are verbally aggressive or physically violent towards them," the report said. "But these protections will extend to any harassment, bullying or discrimination, including homophobic, sexist or racist remarks."

The problem is in the definitions.

Explained Twitchy's commentary, "That's just it. Physical violence is one thing, but a verbal 'hate crime' could theoretically be anything that the staff member takes offense to. If a patient who's been waiting for hours and hours for treatment (because this is the NHS we're dealing with, after all) lashes out and says something a staff member decides is homophobic, sexist, or racist, that patient can be denied treatment? Seems a little excessive, no?"

The changes were announced by U.K. Health Secretary Matt Hancock, who outlined new plans to crack down on physical violence.

But he also is insisting on punishment for opinions. And the report said, "NHS chief executive Sir Simon Stevens said his service was 'determined to clamp down on abuse and aggression in all its forms.'"

Interestingly, a separate survey cited in the report that was published by the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman "found that one in five mental health patients do not feel safe in NHS care."

One anonymous social media commenter summed up the changes: "You don't have the right opinions, so we will not treat you."

Another added, "See, you guys … eugenics CAN work, We'll just weed out the unfit and unworthy people by denying them healthcare."