In the Society section of today’s Guardian is a discussion of whether NHS treatment should be withheld from those who deliberately pursue unhealthy lifestyles. It mentions the footballer George Best who carried on drinking after a liver transplant, and asks if heavy smokers merit heart treatment. It says:

In some circumstances people can have duties to do things that are in their own interests, even if they may not be aware that they are and, where this is the case, they may be done by others on their behalf without their consent.

The other is the idea that we ought to avoid burdening other people unnecessarily with the costs of our care.

I am quoted in the article basically saying that the principle could lead on from smoking and drinking to other health-risk habits such as eating fatty foods and refined sugar. Furthermore, we are forced to pay for the NHS and are, including George Best, entitled to get what we paid for.

For reasons of space they did not quote me saying that it is not acceptable to take away people’s freedom by forcing them into the NHS, and then use that fact to take away more of their freedom.