Surrogacy under Indian Legal System: Legal and Human Rights Concerns

The advancements in medical science and technology have proved to be a boon to mankind. At the same time they have raised numerous challenges before the legal systems of the world. One such advancement is that of assisted human reproductive technologies and particularly surrogacy, which have given a new meaning to the concept of procreation. These technologies have made it possible for individuals to beget a genetically related child with the help of a third party and without sexual intercourse. Among all the assisted human reproductive technologies, the practice of surrogacy, in which women agree to have their bodies used to undergo a pregnancy and give birth to a baby for another, has raised various legal and human right controversies and diverse legal responses all over the world. India has particularly become a top destination for individuals who wish to beget a child through surrogacy and hence it is imperative for the Indian government to address the challenges posed by surrogacy. This study is an attempt to examine the need and importance of surrogacy practices and the conflicting legal and human rights issues raised by surrogacy in contemporary times. It also examines the adequacy of existing legal framework in India and attempts to provide pragmatic solutions for regulating surrogacy and protecting the interests of various stakeholders involved in surrogacy.

Explicit argumentation as a supervisory tool for decision making in child protection cases involving human rights issues

This paper addresses the problems often faced by social workers and their supervisors in decision making where human rights considerations and child protection concerns collide. High profile court cases in the United Kingdom and Europe have consistently called for social workers to convey more clarity when justifying their reasons for interfering with human rights in child protection cases. The themes emerging from these case law decisions imply that social workers need to be better at giving reasons and evidence in more explicit ways to support any actions they propose which cause interference with Convention Rights. Toulmin (1958, 1985) offers a structured approach to argumentation which may have relevance to the supervision of child protection cases when social workers and managers are required to balance these human rights considerations. One of the key challenges in this balancing act is the need for decision makers to feel confident that any interventions resulting in the interference of human rights are both justified and proportionate. Toulmin’s work has already been shown to have relevance for assisting social workers navigate pathways through cases involving competing ethical and moral demands (Osmo and Landau, 2001) and more recently to human rights and decision making in child protection (Duffy et al, 2006). Toulmin’s model takes the practitioner through a series of stages where any argument or proposed recommendation (claim) is subjected to intense critical analysis involving exposition of its strengths and weaknesses. The author therefore proposes that explicit argumentation (Osmo and Landau, 2001) may help supervisors and practitioners towards safer and more confident decision making in child protection cases involving the interference of the human rights of children and parents. In addition to highlighting the broader context of human rights currently permeating child protection decision making, the paper will include case material to practically demonstrate the application of Toulmin’s model of argumentation to the supervision context. In this way the paper adopts a strong practice approach in helping to assist practitioners with the problems and dilemmas they may come up against in decision making in complex cases.

Termination of a minor’s pregnancy : critical issues for consent and the criminal law

The recent Supreme Court decision of Queensland v B [2008] 2 Qd R 562 has significant implications for the law that governs consent and abortions. The judgment purports to extend the ratio of Secretary, Department of Health and Community Services (NT) v JWB and SMB (1991) 175 CLR 218 (Marion’s Case) and impose a requirement of court approval for terminations of pregnancy for minors who are not Gillick-competent. This article argues against the imposition of this requirement on the ground that such an approach is an unjustifiable extension of the reasoning in Marion’s Case. The decision, which is the first judicial consideration in Queensland of the position of medical terminations, also reveals systemic problems with the criminal law in that State. In concluding that the traditional legal excuse for abortions will not apply to those which are performed medically, Queensland v B provides further support for calls to reform this area of law.

Child rights as perceived by the community members in India

Attitudes, knowledge, and perceptions of an individual influence their behavior as well as culture of a society. The objective of the study was to understand the attitudes and knowledge of 584 Indian community members regarding child rights and their perceptions about whether selected child rights were secured in reality. Overall attitudes of vast majority (96 – 98%) of the participants towards child rights were found to be positive i.e., children should have rights in various respects except issue like right to meet others (Article 15 of CRC). Knowledge of majority of the participants about child rights related legislations was moderate and varied across the cities while participants were unanimous about poor lived experiences of child rights in reality. So far as attitude and perception are concerned about child rights, there was a significant difference in the distribution between cities (p<0.01). Overall, the Rights of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009 had the highest awareness (91.3%, n=533), followed by the Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act, 1986 (89.7%, n=523) and the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006 (89.6%, n=523). Findings of the present study speak in favor of community awareness about child rights and penalties for violation of child rights.

Family breakdown, the best interests of the child concept, and the legal system

It appears that the legal system's response to the issues relating to family breakdown and "the best interests of the child" concept can sometimes be inadequate. There also appears to a lack of consistency with regards to enforcing the best interests of the child concept in legal proceedings concerning children.

Jesus before Pilate; a monograph of the crucifixion; political and legal history of the trial of Jesus under the Jewish and Roman criminal law, with an account of the office, powers, public acts and private character of Tiberius Caesar ... and others connected with the trial; embracing the Acts of Pontius Pilate, translatd from the oldest manuscripts, with proof of their antiquity and discussion of authenticity;

Disbound Original Held in Oak Street Library Facility.

Butterworths Questions and Answers : Criminal Law in Queensland and Western Australia

Criminal Law in Queensland and Western Australia is a new title in the Butterworths Questions and Answers (BQA) series, focusing on the criminal law in the main code states – Queensland and WA.

Principles of Criminal Law in Queensland and Western Australia

Aspires to engage students in the criminal law in Queensland and Western Australia by explaining and applying its fundamental principles. In both these jurisdictions the criminal law stems from the Griffith Code, which was enacted in 1899 in Queensland and in 1913 in Western Australia.

A tutela extrapatrimonial do nascituro no ordenamento jurídico brasileiro

Propõe-se estudo teórico com o objetivo de examinar a extensão e os limites da proteção jurídica concedida aos nascituros no ordenamento jurídico brasileiro. Há décadas a doutrina nacional se debruça acerca da exegese mais adequada do art. 4 do Código Civil de 1916, que, atualmente, corresponde ao art. 2 do Código Civil, com pequenas modificações textuais, mas sem alterar substancialmente o dispositivo. O Código Civil aparentemente optou pela atribuição da personalidade civil somente após o nascimento com vida, assegurando, contudo, os direitos do nascituro desde a concepção. O próprio Código Civil prevê expressamente direitos ao nascituro, como o direito a se beneficiar de doação e herança, o direito ao reconhecimento de paternidade e o direito à curatela. Nas últimas décadas outras leis infraconstitucionais reforçaram a proteção do nascituro, para resguardar direitos próprios do nascituro, entre eles o direito à assistência pré-natal, o direito à saúde e à integridade física e o direito aos alimentos. Não obstante, é costumeira a consciência de que o reconhecimento desses direitos pressupõe a concessão da personalidade civil desde a concepção, visto que a titularidade deles dependeria do gozo pleno da personalidade. Embora, pelo perfil do interesse, não haja óbice ao reconhecimento de situações patrimoniais, existenciais e dúplices, que podem ser titularizadas pelo nascituro, a preocupação do legislador nacional sempre se centrou nos aspectos patrimoniais. Diante da existência de situações jurídicas subjetivas merecedoras de proteção por parte do ordenamento jurídico titularizáveis pelos nascituros, pretende-se identificar e revelar os direitos extrapatrimoniais do ente por nascer como merecedores de tutela no direito brasileiro. Mediante pesquisa bibliográfica, observada a metodologia do direito civil constitucional, serão examinados os conceitos de nascituro, bem como as teorias existentes sobre os direitos que lhe são assegurados, com vista à possibilidade de proteção de seus direitos existenciais