Erin Patterson is serving a life sentence in Victoria, Australia, for serving a poisoned mushroom meal that killed three of her former brothers-in-law. The state has now approved Ozempic prescriptions for her, the same medication that costs hundreds of dollars a month and that millions of people cannot afford out of pocket.
Her argument was simple: she is in isolation and cannot exercise because of her media notoriety. The Department of Justice responded that doctors only prescribe it when there is a genuine clinical need, such as preventing type 2 diabetes. But shadow minister Brad Battin did not stay silent: “If Erin Patterson chooses not to exercise, then we should not subsidize the cost of the medication to keep her weight down”.
Meanwhile, prisoners’ rights advocates insist that the state has an obligation to provide the same medical care inside and outside prison. The uncomfortable question that lingers is: how far does that obligation extend when the person receiving it was convicted of killing three people with a plate of food?
