Speaking ahead of the crucial vote in the Scottish Parliament on 17 March, on the Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill, the former Chief Medical Officer for Scotland, Sir Harry Burns, has warned MSPs not to require doctors to offer their patients “a pathway to death”.
The former Consultant Surgeon said “The present debate over Liam McArthur’s Assisted Suicide Bill has forced MSPs to examine how we should look after patients with incurable illness. Arguing that we should kill them is deeply disturbing and ignores many ways in which we can and should support them.”
In his statement to MSPs, Sir Harry said;
“I started my medical career, training as a surgeon with the kidney transplant team at Glasgow’s Western Infirmary. After completing my training, I became a Consultant at the Royal Infirmary working on the treatment of cancers and other diseases which caused fatal illness. Throughout my time at the Royal, I was, like my colleagues committed to finding ways of improving the wellbeing and comfort of patients. It became clear to me that a patient’s sense of wellbeing was best improved by helping them achieve a sense of control over their lives.
“A sense of control means believing that we can influence the events, actions and emotions in our life. It enhances mental wellbeing and reduces stress. When I realised the importance of giving someone a sense of control over their lives, I decided that public health was the way to make it happen. I gave up surgery and moved into public health.
“The present debate over Liam McArthur’s Assisted Suicide Bill has forced MSPs to examine how we should look after patients with incurable illness. Arguing that we should kill them is deeply disturbing and ignores many ways in which we can and should support them. Passing a law which allows people to be killed because they can’t be cured ignores the reality that we can still allow them to feel the contentment of being in control, rather than the torment of being abandoned.
“Engaging positively with them to manage their symptoms and suffering, gives them agency and dignity. We may have no medical cures for their physical illness, but we can and should give them a sense of control over their lives, not a pathway to death.”
Sir Harry Burns is currently Professor of Global Public Health at the University of Strathclyde.
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