This module is not running for 2024-25 entry. Check our LLM and Diploma module list to see other related modules you could take.
This module examines how medical law works by using different legal tools to deter, promote or repair medical interventions which have an impact on health and well-being. Some medical interventions such as surgeries are lawful if there is valid consent, but other interventions are deemed so 'improper' e.g. voluntary amputation that a person is not allowed consent to them. But is the boundary between proper and improper medical treatment clearcut? Why is surgical extraction of a live kidney donation for donation purposes lawful if consensual, even though voluntary amputation is not? By considering such questions, alongside the law's use of public funding and private remedies for malpractice, the module will equip students to do their own 'research experiments' with medical law as they consider which legal tools are the most appropriate for regulating medicine and promoting health. SyllabusWeek 1: The relationship between law and medicine in promoting health and well-being Week 2: Im/proper medical treatment, criminalisation and stigma Week 3: Funding and equal access to public treatment Week 4: Making amends when things go wrongWeek 5: Experimenting with medicine and law
3,000-4,000 word essay
15 Credits