AFP - Belgium is considering a significant change to its decade-old euthanasia law that would allow minors and Alzheimer's sufferers to seek permission to die. The proposed changes to the law were submitted to parliament Tuesday by the Socialist party and are likely to be approved by other parties, although no date has yet been put forward for a parliamentary debate. "The idea is to update the law to take better account of dramatic situations and extremely harrowing cases we must find a response to," party leader Thierry Giet said. The draft legislation calls for "the law to be extended to minors if they are capable of discernment or affected by an incurable illness or suffering that we cannot alleviate." Belgium was the second country in the world after the Netherlands to legalise euthanasia in 2002 but it applies only to people over the age of 18.
The mother of a teenage girl who died from anorexia has called for hospitals to change the way they treat young people as they become adults. Vickie Townsend's daughter, Laura Willmott, died from complications caused by the eating disorder. Townsend told an inquest that as the former public schoolgirl approached her 18th birthday, medical staff stopped informing her of her daughter's progress.
The landmark decision of Gillick v West Norfolk Area Health Authority was a victory for advocates of adolescent autonomy. It established a test by which the court could measure children's competence with a view to them authorising medical treatment. However, application of the test by clinicians reveals a number of ambiguities which are compounded by subsequent interpretation of Gillick in the law courts. What must be understood by minors in order for them to be deemed competent? At what point in the consent process should competence be assessed? Does competence confer on minors the authority to refuse as well as to accept medical treatment? These are questions which vex clinicians, minors and their families. A growing number of commentators favour application of parts of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 to minors. In this paper, the limitations of this approach are exposed and more radical reform is proposed.
Information about HBSC and the work of the network has been broken down into bite-size, easy to digest chunks, focusing on certain themes, accompanying particular publications or in response to particular public health campaigns. This factsheet is intended to provide an overview of some of the key findings and analysis from HBSC research and data relating to young people and alcohol consumption.
T. Boluarte, E. Mossialos, and C. Rudisill. CESifo Economic Studies, 57 (4):
763-788(2011)First published online: September 29, 2011, http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/cesifo/ifr025. (Eurobarometer).