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PRESS RELEASE - 9th March 2006

BABY M.B. - A DOCTOR'S BRIEF

'First Do No Harm,' a doctors' group said today:

"The current High Court case of the 17-month-old baby with type 1 spinal muscular atrophy is deeply worrying.

"It is agreed that removing him from the ventilator will cause his death. Doctors giving evidence recommend this. Following present law and guidance, they sincerely believe they should weigh up the value of his life; but disability rights advocates say they cannot judge that.

Dr. R. Barry Jones, MD, FRCP, wrote in 1981: *

"The major focus of debate is the severely malformed neonate. If the baby is so malformed that in seems impossible that it could ever lead a life of quality, should it be allowed to live at all, or indeed should active steps be taken to hasten its death, in plain English to kill it?

"One answer to the dilemma is to say that this is a medical decision - only a physician skilled in evaluating the newborn is in a position to decide, or advise the parents what to decide. This is nonsense. Whether or not a patient will benefit or not from a particular line of treatment at a particular time is a medical matter. Whether the child should be fed and nurtured, or sedated and starved to death, is no part of a doctor' brief.

"Who will be next? The old? All handicapped people? The socially undesirable (whatever we choose that to mean)?"

*'The Quality of Life', in Child Care, Health and Development 1981 Vol 7 2, 65-66

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For further information please ring Dr. Mary Knowles, 01256 882699. or 020 7730 3059.