Journal of law and medicine
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In 2019 the Lancet Commission on the Legal Determinants of Health set out the important role that law can play in supporting global health. The Report sets out four legal determinants of health which address the role of law in supporting sustainable development; law's role in strengthening national and international governance; the importance of evidence-based public health laws; and the importance of building legal capacities for health. This Editorial provides an overview of the Report and its recommendations.
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During 2020 new legislation in England and Scotland will come into force, which adopts a Welsh reform implemented in 2015, changing the law on deceased organ donation from an "opt-in" regime, based on the explicit consent of the deceased donor during their lifetime or that of their family, to a model of soft, "opt-out," whereby the deceased's consent to donate will be "deemed" unless they have registered or made known an objection during their lifetime. This column examines the ethical case for both regimes and analyses the law reform and its implications. ⋯ The sole aim of the law reform is to increase the supply of organs from deceased donors for transplantation to meet ever-increasing demand. Notwithstanding that taskforces in Australia and New Zealand have recently rejected introducing opt-out systems and New Zealand has not yet even introduced a dedicated organ donation register, evidence of increased donation rates following the UK reform may revive an issue which is currently off the reform agenda in this part of the world.
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In 2019, the Voluntary Assisted Dying Act 2017 (Vic) came into force. Thereupon, Victoria became the first State in Australia to enact such a law since the Commonwealth of Australia overturned Northern Territory legislation in 1997. ⋯ Four problematic areas of the law are discussed: the prohibition on health practitioners introducing the subject, introduction of the subject of voluntary assisted dying to patients; difficulties in obtaining access to treatment in certain populations in Victoria; the arbitrary minimum age of 18 to be able to access voluntary assisted dying; and the difficulties for patients and practitioners in evaluating the capacity of patients with mental illness and cognitive difficulties. Practical solutions to these difficulties will be proffered and discussed.