Court of Appeals rules DHSS notice on family planning contrary to law
Brahams, D.
Lancet 1(8419): 59-61
1985
ISSN/ISBN: 0140-6736 PMID: 2856993 Document Number: 261665
In the December 1982 case of Gillick v. West Norfolk and Wisbech AHA, the British Court of Appeal acceded to Mrs. Victoria Gillick's petition that no professional employed by the Health Authority be permitted to give contraceptive or abortion treatment to any of her children under the age of 16 without her prior knowledge and consent. The ruling held that a 1980 Department of Health and Social Security notice allowing treatment of minors without parental consent was contrary to law. The court made it clear that it was concerned only with the legal position and not with the conflicting moral and social arguments. In her discussion of the decision, Brahams questions whether the court's position that children under 16 cannot consent to treatment is a fair assumption.