Assessment of physician-assisted death by members of the public prosecution in The Netherlands.
(1/167)
OBJECTIVES: To identify the factors that influence the assessment of reported cases of physician-assisted death by members of the public prosecution. DESIGN/SETTING: At the beginning of 1996, during verbal interviews, 12 short case-descriptions were presented to a representative group of 47 members of the public prosecution in the Netherlands. RESULTS: Assessment varied considerably between respondents. Some respondents made more "lenient" assessments than others. Characteristics of the respondents, such as function, personal-life philosophy and age, were not related to the assessment. Case characteristics, i.e. the presence of an explicit request, life expectancy and the type of suffering, strongly influenced the assessment. Of these characteristics, the presence or absence of an explicit request was the most important determinant of the decision whether or not to hold an inquest. CONCLUSIONS: Although the presence of an explicit request, life expectancy and the type of suffering each influenced the assessment, each individual assessment was dependent on the assessor. The resulting danger of legal inequality and legal uncertainty, particularly in complicated cases, should be kept to a minimum by the introduction of some form of protocol and consultation in doubtful or boundary cases. The notification procedure already promotes a certain degree of uniformity in the prosecution policy. (+info)
Ethical-legal problems of DNA databases in criminal investigation.
(2/167)
Advances in DNA technology and the discovery of DNA polymorphisms have permitted the creation of DNA databases of individuals for the purpose of criminal investigation. Many ethical and legal problems arise in the preparation of a DNA database, and these problems are especially important when one analyses the legal regulations on the subject. In this paper three main groups of possibilities, three systems, are analysed in relation to databases. The first system is based on a general analysis of the population; the second one is based on the taking of samples for a particular list of crimes, and a third is based only on the specific analysis of each case. The advantages and disadvantages of each system are compared and controversial issues are then examined. We found the second system to be the best choice for Spain and other European countries with a similar tradition when we weighed the rights of an individual against the public's interest in the prosecution of a crime. (+info)
Continuing professional development: medico-legal aspects of epilepsy.
(3/167)
Generally protection against possible litigation and good clinical practice go hand in hand. Situations in which the law has special relevance for people with epilepsy, those who work with them, and their clinicians are reviewed with special reference to the topics of driving, employment, duties of social carers, the clinician's everyday role, the responsibilities of researchers and epilepsy and the criminal law. What constitutes professional negligence is discussed, with special reference to the United Kingdom. Clinicians are advised to think clearly, write clearly, communicate clearly and have a good relationship with their patients. (+info)
Epilepsy--doctor's dilemma, lawyer's delight? Medico-legal consequences of practising in the field of epilepsy report of an International League Against Epilepsy British Branch meeting--Edinburgh, April 2000.
(4/167)
Six cases are described where the medical management of a person's epilepsy was brought under legal scrutiny. Lessons learnt from this educational exercise include improving doctor patient communication, the function of a Coroner's Court, when is misdiagnosis negligent, the vagaries of expert witnesses, should failure to diagnose a tumour be blamed on the physician or the service when facilities are inadequate, is failure to recognise a rare drug interaction, failure to warn against an interaction, or failure to take a proper history, negligent? The conference also examined the legal ramifications of the nurse/doctor relationship in epilepsy care, the place of epilepsy guidelines and, due to its interactive nature, reflected on the audience's epilepsy knowledge, which, in places seemed significantly deficient. It was a gripping educational exercise. (+info)
Neonatal euthanasia: moral considerations and criminal liability.
(5/167)
Despite tremendous advances in medical care for critically ill newborn infants, caregivers in neonatal intensive care units still struggle with how to approach those patients whose prognoses appear to be the most grim, and whose treatments appear to be the most futile. Although the practice of passive neonatal euthanasia, from a moral perspective, has been widely (albeit quietly) condoned, those clinicians and families involved in such cases may still be found legally guilty of child abuse or even manslaughter. Passive neonatal euthanasia remains both a moral dilemma and a legal ambiguity. Even the definition of passive euthanasia remains unclear. This manuscript reviews the basic moral and legal considerations raised by the current practice of neonatal euthanasia, and examines the formal position statements of the American Medical Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics. The paper concludes by emphasising the need, at least in the United States, to clarify the legal status of this relatively common medical practice. (+info)
Uneasy promises: sexuality, health, and human rights.
(6/167)
Although attention to the links between health and human rights is growing globally, the full potential of a progressive human rights approach to health has not yet been explored, and it is even more faintly understood in the United States than in the rest of the world. At the same time, global claims for sexual rights, particularly for those identifying as gay, lesbian, transsexual, or bisexual, are increasingly being made as human rights claims. All of these approaches to rights advocacy risk limiting their own transformative impact unless advocates critique their own strategies. Paradoxically, using health as a way to bring attention to nonheteronormative sexualities can be both helpful and potentially dangerous, especially when coupled with human rights. Recognizing sexuality as a critical element of humanity, and establishing a fundamental human right to health, can play a role in broader social justice claims, but the tendency of both public health and human rights advocacy to "normalize" and regulate must be scrutinized and challenged. (+info)
Jails, prisons, and the health of urban populations: a review of the impact of the correctional system on community health.
(7/167)
This review examined the interactions between the correctional system and the health of urban populations. Cities have more poor people, more people of color, and higher crime rates than suburban and rural areas; thus, urban populations are overrepresented in the nation's jails and prisons. As a result, US incarceration policies and programs have a disproportionate impact on urban communities, especially black and Latino ones. Health conditions that are overrepresented in incarcerated populations include substance abuse, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and other infectious diseases, perpetration and victimization by violence, mental illness, chronic disease, and reproductive health problems. Correctional systems have direct and indirect effects on health. Indirectly, they influence family structure, economic opportunities, political participation, and normative community values on sex, drugs, and violence. Current correctional policies also divert resources from other social needs. Correctional systems can have a direct effect on the health of urban populations by offering health care and health promotion in jails and prisons, by linking inmates to community services after release, and by assisting in the process of community reintegration. Specific recommendations for action and research to reduce the adverse health and social consequences of current incarceration policies are offered. (+info)
A capture-recapture study of the prevalence and implications of opiate use in Dublin.
(8/167)
BACKGROUND: To date there have been no studies estimating the hidden prevalence of opiate use in Dublin. METHODS: A multisource enumeration followed by the application of the capture-recapture method with log-linear modelling including age and gender stratification to remove heterogeneity was implemented to provide an estimate of the unknown size of the opiate-using population. Two medical and one legal data sources were used. RESULTS: It was found that the ratio of known to unknown opiate users was 1:1.15 with a total of 13,460 (95% CI: 12,037-15,306) users estimated in Dublin in 1996. CONCLUSION: The findings of this study have important ramifications for service delivery. (+info)