Category: Healthcare Law

My brain made me do it: will neuroscience change the way we punish criminals?

Allan McCay and Jeanette Kennett Australian law may be on the cusp of a brain-based revolution that will reshape the way we deal with criminals. Some researchers, such as neuroscientist David Eagleman, have argued that neuroscience should radically change our practices of punishment. According to Eagleman, the courts should give up on the notion of…

31 May, 2016
Central Queensland Hospital v Q: Access to abortion in Queensland and children’s ability to consent to medical treatment

The decision in Central Queensland Hospital and Health Service v Q raises interesting issues in relation to the criminalization of abortion in Queensland and children’s ability to consent to medical treatment. Q was a pregnant 12 year old girl who was referred to medical staff at the Central Queensland Hospital after asking her GP for…

29 April, 2016
NBOT Annual Workshop – Call for Papers

Date: 10 March 2016 Venue: Sydney Law School, University of Sydney In March, the Network for Bodies, Organs and Tissues (NBOT) will host its annual multi-disciplinary workshop on bodies and tissues. The event provides a forum for discussions of moral, ethical and regulatory issues relating to the access and control of tissue. The Network welcomes papers that…

3 February, 2016
Children with gender dysphoria and consent to treatment: time for a change in the law?

Gender dysphoria is a condition where a person feels that their biological sex is deeply incongruent with their perceived gender, causing him or her significant distress. Stage 1 of treatment involves the administration of puberty-suppressant hormones. Stage 2 involves the administration of cross-sex hormones that promote the development of physical characteristics of the opposite sex.…

1 February, 2016
Immigration department breaches the privacy rights of asylum seekers

An article in The Guardian today claims that the Department of Immigration has sought access to confidential medical records of asylum seekers for ‘political purposes.’ The article reports on a briefing document written by a senior clinician at International Health and Medical Services (which delivers health services at mainland and offshore detention centres), which appears…

23 July, 2015
Muzzling health and welfare professionals in the name of national security: Australia’s Border Force Act 2015

As law professors employed by one of Australia’s oldest law schools, we live and breathe law, and care about the rule of law. Frankly, however, we don’t care about it enough to stand by while government tries to muzzle dedicated professionals working in difficult conditions to protect the safety and dignity of children.

6 July, 2015
Upcoming Conferences: Emerging Health Policy Research Conference 2015

The Menzies Centre for Health Policy is hosting its 10th annual Emerging Health Policy Research Conference on Tuesday, 21 July 2015, at the University of Sydney. The Conference showcases the work of current masters, doctoral and early career research workers, as well as those new to the field of health policy research. This year’s keynote…

30 June, 2015