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15 November 2006
The Scottish Council on Human Bioethics (SCHB) generally welcomes the report of the Nuffield Council on Bioethics, published today, regarding the care of very premature babies.
However, the SCHB stresses that each situation should be considered on a case by case basis and should not only be examined from the perspective of the gestational age of the baby.
"Those best-placed to make judgements about the treatment of a child are its parents and the clinicians who are caring for it" said Dr Calum MacKellar, SCHB’s Director of Research, "and it is important that they should be free to make these difficult decisions without feeling strait-jacketed by broad-brush guidelines."
The SCHB recognises that in certain cases premature babies may have no prospect of survival, and is not advocating that all should automatically be given intensive care.
"It is entirely ethical to withhold or withdraw treatment that is futile, especially if the treatment is burdensome or unnecessarily prolonging suffering" commented Dr MacKellar. "But we must be vigilant that this does not lead to the implementation of 'mercy-killing'."
The SCHB notes that several other organisations, notably the British Medical Association, have expressed similar views and urges the Government to follow this course of action.