The front page of the U.K. Sunday Times featured a disturbing article yesterday. The question it explored was this: Should babies born before the 25th week of pregnancy be left to die? Yes, you are reading correctly. Britain's state run National Healthcare Service (NHS) is overextended and some think that the considerable resources spent on this kind of patient could be used more effectively and wisely elsewhere. This view is increasingly espoused by the doctors comprising the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists who began referring to these babies 'bed blockers.' In a recent statement, the College said: Some weight should be given to the economic considerations as there is a real issue in neonatal units of 'bed blocking.' However chilling this debate may seem, it is the natural and expected outcome of socialized medicine. The State can only provide a limited amount of resources and the pie must be divided somehow. In the process some people will be inevitably...(Read Full Post)