Having reasonable freedom to act in accordance with our conscience is something that Christian healthcarers rightly value. A number of recent events and reviews over the last year or so highlight some of the perennial vulnerabilities of conscience provision but also some reasons for hope […]
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Brain death, resurrection, and Archie Battersbee
Since June, when I last wrote about the deeply distressing case of Archie Battersbee, his ventilator was eventually switched off on 4 August. Soon after, he was declared dead when his heart subsequently stopped beating. In the evidence they gave at the court hearing on […]
The tragedy of Archie Battersbee
Mrs Justice Arbuthnot’s judgement earlier this month on the tragic case of Archie Battersbee is sobering reading. Her ruling came across to me as kind and thoughtful, and the fact that she took time to visit Archie in hospital for herself speaks highly of her […]
Assisted dying – far better help is available than most realise
Far better help is available for patients in great suffering and distress than many people realise. A CMF member shares two stories she has included in her response to the assisted suicide consultation. Liam McArthur MSP is currently holding a consultation on whether to introduce […]
Has the RCP’s reluctance to issue guidance on fMRI scans for coma patients become indefensible?
In March 2020, the Royal College of Physicians (RCP) in the UK published national guidelines on the management of patients with prolonged disorders of consciousness (PDOC). Those guidelines updated their 2013 guidance, ‘particularly in relation to recent developments in assessment and management, and … changes […]