Welcome to Breakpoint, a daily look at an ever-changing culture through the lens of unchanging truth.

For the Colson Center, I'm John Stone Street.

In that striking scene in Charles Dickens, a Christmas Carol, Ebenezer Scrooge asked the two men who are raising money for the poor,

are there no prisons? And the union workhouses, are they still in operation?

And the charity supporters replied that many would rather die than go to such places,

Scrooge replied, if they'd rather die, they'd better do it, and decrease the surplus population.

Later in the story, Scrooge is reminded of his dehumanizing words and is ashamed.

Well, recently, in real-life Britain, Lord Falconer of Thorotan suggested to the British

House of Lords that the poor might be better off dead. Quote, where the reason that you want an

assisted death is because in your mind you are influenced by your circumstances, for example,

because you are poor, should you be barred from having an assisted death because of your poverty?

In my view, not.

Now, of course, in Britain's nationalized health care system, the cost of the procedure for the

poor is not at issue.

Rather, Lord Falconer seems to be suggesting that the poor should have the right to die

if they're ashamed of being poor.

Poverty, in his view, is a fate worse than death.

Now, most likely, Lord Falconer thinks that his appeal is one to charity,

like the charity workers of the Christmas Carol.

But in reality, his advice is indistinguishable from Scrooge.

He might as well have asked, are there no euthanasia clinics?

And the gas chambers, are they still in operation?

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