those babies face serious developmental diffi culties and environmental challenges. For instance, had Kirsty been one of the (at least) 500 Scottish babies born each year with the lifelong brain damage caused by fetal alcohol exposure, her life would be compromised before she even drew her fi rst breath. By contrast, if Kirsty was born healthy and has at least one caring, competent adult consistently in her life, then her chances of success dramatically improve. As Sir Michael Marmot and Sir Harry Burns remind us, the degree
of inequality across our society is a matter of choice, not destiny. During the tenure of this Scottish Parliament, more than a quarter of a million more babies will be born here. What quality of life will they enjoy and what ongoing inequalities will they have to struggle hard to overcome? T ere are three messages MSPs should take to heart and act upon. First, preconception health, education and care matter far more pro- foundly than has been realised and taken into account across Scotland. Just as the outcomes of the 2016 election depended heavily upon what was true before the campaign itself, so too, the wellbeing of Kirsty and the 250,000 forthcoming bairns and weans were strongly shaped by their parents’ health and wellbeing prior to pregnancy. Second, what will happen (for better or worse) to Kirsty and the next generation of Scots is not inevitable. Just as the Scottish election results from 50 years ago – indeed from only 17 years ago – diff ered greatly from those earlier this month, so too, pregnancy and birth outcomes and child wellbeing are now much better. Such progress must increase during the next fi ve years.
Newsletters
from Scotland’s award-winning current affairs magazine directly to your inbox
Holyrood magazine provides a daily morning roundup of the what’s happening in civic Scotland as well as six weekly newsletters covering specifi c sectors of interest.
Our free email bulletins:
Daily Morning Roundup Connect weekly ICT bulletin Education weekly bulletin Environment weekly bulletin Health weekly bulletin Justice weekly bulletin Local Government weekly bulletin
SIGN UP TODAY:
www.holyrood.com/emails S 23 May 2016
www.holyrood.com 29
T ird, the ‘silver bullet’ for Kirsty – and her hundreds of thousands
of future fellow Scots – is preventative action, not just rhetoric. An ‘all hands on deck’ eff ort to advance preconception health, education and care would profoundly benefi t these babies throughout their lives. Preventing gaps from opening in the fi rst place, starting before preg- nancy or birth, is the best way of delivering on cross-party promises to enhance health, education and social justice. Better preparation and supporting the next generation of parents is central to Scotland’s ‘preventative spending’ ideals. Prospective Scottish mothers and fathers – a large, albeit largely
unrecognised, block of voters – already deeply desire three outcomes: a safe pregnancy, a healthy baby and a rewarding parenthood. Unfor- tunately, these three fundamentals remain unrealised aspirations for many future parents across Scotland. T at is both an old shame and a new chance for our society, including Scotland’s public sector. In both politics and pregnancy, the wisdom of Scotland’s own Alexander Graham Bell is well worth heeding: Before anything else, preparation is the key to success. ⌜
Dr Jonathan Sher is an independent consultant based in Edinburgh. He was director of research, policy and practice at Children in Scotland; principal author of NHS Education Scotland’s online resource on fetal alcohol harm; Scotland director of WAVE Trust; and the initial coordinator of the coalition behind Social Justice Begins With Babies.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48
