Ministry of Health Memorandum 153/MCW, 1930
In July 1930, ‘responding to a widespread and responsible demand’, the Ministry of Health issued Memorandum 153/MCW permitting Local Authorities to give birth control advice to married women for whom a further pregnancy would be detrimental to health. Having regard … Read more
Matter of an Application of Judicial Review by the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission [2015]
This case established that the abortion legislation in Northern Ireland breached Article 8 of the ECHR by failing to provide an exception to the prohibition on abortion in cases of a fatal foetal abnormality (at any time during the pregnancy) or where the pregnancy is the result of sexual crime (up to the date when the foetus is capable of existing independently of the mother).
Mental Capacity Act 2005
The Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) makes legal provision for a wide range of people (family members, health and social care professionals, courts) to make decisions in the best interests of a person who lacks the capacity to make a decision for themselves.
St George’s Healthcare NHS Trust v S [1999]
St George’s Healthcare NHS Trust v S established right of a competent pregnant woman to refuse treatment even if that refusal may result in harm to her or her unborn child,
Gillick v West Norfolk and Wishbech Area Health Authority [1986]
Gillick v West Norfolk and Wisbech Area Health Authority gave girls under 16 the right to consent to medical treatment without parental involvement.
Maternity and Child Welfare Act 1918
The Maternity and Child Welfare Act 1918 obliged local authorities to set up maternal and child welfare clinics.