Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Paxil study author and psychiatrist turned politician loses Halifax election
Stan Kutcher, the psychiatrist turned politician who threatened to sue The Coast newspaper in Halifax unless it issued a retraction on a story it did about Kutcher's involvement with Paxil study 329 (see retracted story here) and my blog about it), lost yesterday's election, along with the rest of his Liberal Party. See story here.
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Megan Leslie's campaign was successful on the basis of her record of public service. "Ain't broke; don't fix it" was essentially the message. An astute, well informed, socially aware and engaged young woman Parliamentarian who was declared "Rookie of the Year" by her fellow Members of Parliament, she has represented her constituents well and, thankfully, will continue to do so.
There is a growing realization on the part of the general public, in more contexts than one, that just because someone is a M.D., they are not necessarily credible, responsible, or accountable. Certainly, M.D. does not confer the wide range of competence required of a member of government.
Finally, among the major factors influencing the mental health of young people, are social indicators of a positive future. The very presence of Megan Leslie (who, by the way,has been the New Democrat Party's health critic) in the Canadian House of Commons is a powerful signal to young Canadians that the future belongs to them and that young people of today have what it takes to create a better world.
It is, indeed, a happy day in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
Thank you Alison for telling us the story, because from this story I learnt that as a future medical professional the importance of professional conduct in both clinical work and scientific research entails patient's safety and upholding the public's expectations on us.
I agree with Judith that having a M.D. doesn't mean they are credible and responsible. Indeed there are recent cases in New Zealand of G.P misconduct disappointed the New Zealand public.
Glad that we learn from our past mistakes, and the system has improved since to maintain the stringency, in part to protect both the patients and the medical researchers.
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