Medicine and law
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Comparative Study
A comparison of firearms--related legislation on four continents.
Firearms are produced in great quantities. Their use is universal, widespread and often lethal. ⋯ This paper presents a comparative study of firearm use legislation of four different countries in four different areas of the world (Sweden, United States, Japan and Israel). Particular attention will be paid to the traditions and cultural characteristics underlying the differences in legislative approach.
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Apart from legal norms, medicine is also governed by a broad array of ethical norms. Historically, ethical codes are a translation of these ethical norms. ⋯ Ethical codes are however subject to different critiques. This contribution focuses on two critiques: (1) ethical codes neglect the pervasiveness of morality and the complexity of moral issues by presenting a set of specific ethical norms that need to be applied (outside in perspective); (2) ethical codes do not take into account the fragmentation of ethics and the decreasing homogeneity of the professional group (middle ground position).
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This short paper examines developments in expert evidentiary procedures in forensic cases in Hungary. The basis of current practice is described and certain problems arising from this are discussed.
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A person's right to control his or her own body, expressed through the concept of informed consent to medical treatment, has gained worldwide acceptance. Nevertheless, this right may conflict with the state's interest in preserving life in cases where patients refuse treatment in medical emergencies. This paper examines the management of treating acute anaemia in a Jehovah's Witness in Israel who refused blood transfusion on religious grounds. ⋯ This law established statutory ethics committees which may, under defined conditions of emergency or threat to life, approve treatment against the patient's will. This power, previously vested in the courts, should be used only in extreme circumstances while, in general, patients' wishes and beliefs must be respected. Sensitivity to the legal and ethical aspects involved deserves greater emphasis in medical school curricula.
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Children are being abused in Greece at an alarming rate. This article aims to clarify the magnitude of the child abuse issue in Greece and to highlight medical and legal aspects that may play a contributory role in the existing defects in the revelation, prevention, and punishment of this type of crime.