The state of Oregon legalized a physician-assisted suicide law. This law exempts state-licensed physicians who “dispense or prescribe a lethal dose of drugs upon the request of a terminally ill patient” from civil or criminal liability. The law required that the patient must have a diagnosis of an incurable and irreversible disease that reasonably will cause …Read more

In January 2000, Mrs. X went to the Royal Women’s Hospital (“the Hospital”). She was 32 weeks pregnant, and, after a multiple ultrasounds, it was confirmed that her baby had skeletal dysplasia (“dwarfism”). In February, a fetal reduction procedure was done and the baby was born by stillbirth. After termination, the fetus was found to …Read more

The Petitioner, Stamen Filipov, challenged Article 178, a provision regulating solitary confinement, of the Law on Execution of Sanctions (the Law). The Law gave the Director of a prison or his/her substitute the power to institute certain disciplinary measures against convicted persons, including warnings, public warnings, confiscation of up to 20% of the compensation for …Read more

The Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum, a coalition of twelve human rights organizations, alleged that the Government of Zimbabwe and supporters of the ruling ZANU (PF) political party engaged in a systematic campaign of intimidation leading up to a Constitutional Referendum held in February of 2000, as well as in the months following its fifth …Read more

After a tympanoplasty procedure provided by Dr. Y, Mrs. X suffered from partial facial paralysis. Mrs. X sought damages for the entire facial paralysis that she suffered, claiming that Dr. Y had violated the doctor’s duty to fully inform patients of the potential consequences of a medical procedure. The lower court awarded Mrs. X damages, and …Read more

This case concerned violations of the physicians’ professional Code of Conduct and a disregard for the general nomenclature of professional acts in medicine by Mr. Gilbert X. Mr. X was sanctioned by the Social Security Section of the National Council of the College of Physicians to a four months prohibition of the right to dispense …Read more

Glegg was injured in a bicycle accident and required surgical repair of fractured bones with metal implants. She alleged that following surgery, she experienced extremely painful allergic reactions to metal surgical implants manufactured by Smith & Nephew, causing her physical disability and depression. She sued her physicians and Smith & Nephew in tort. It was …Read more

The Applicant, Simon Musi Mazibuko, was a prisoner living with HIV. He had been convicted of murder assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm, robbery, theft, and unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition, and sentenced to life in prison. The Applicant was suffering from several opportunistic infections, including tuberculosis, and his CD4 count …Read more