100% you articulated exactly what I couldn't - thank you. It feels very wrong to be considering this in the UK when we are on the decline. Espcially since the current government have demonstrated that they don't really care about pensioners.
OTOH, it's interesting that you and the parent comment are basically saying "We, as a country, are failing our pensioners so badly that death has become the more appealing option for many of them. Therefore, we must trap them here with us until we improve the conditions that lead to them making that bargain (which we will never do)"
Taking away someone's right to assisted dying because you live in a society that has made death preferable to living for many seems like a totally orthogonal leap of logic. That doesn't reduce net suffering one iota.
I am eluding perverse incentives by the government to employ such a scheme. I am sure if they use pure logic and numbers it makes sense to roll this out, especially at time like this. It would indeed help the balance the books and get rid of that pesky voter base who typically vote right.
The decision to offer assisted dying needs to be based on compassion and logic, not on logic alone.
