scholarly journals FREDA: a human rights-based approach to healthcare

2010 ◽  
Vol 34 (4) ◽  
pp. 150-156 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin J. Curtice ◽  
Tim Exworthy

SummaryThe introduction of the Human Rights Act 1998 in the UK has not led to widespread knowledge and understanding in patient and carer groups, healthcare professionals or at an organisational level. This knowledge deficit has been recognised by government bodies and other agencies, which has led to the introduction of a bottom-up human rights-based approach that can be used by individuals and organisations alike in everyday practice. It avoids the need to have technical knowledge of the Human Rights Act and associated case law and is based upon concepts that underpin all the articles of the Act. The human rights-based approach is the process by which human rights can be protected by adherence to underlying core values of fairness, respect, equality, dignity and autonomy, or FREDA.

Author(s):  
Lucy Jones

This chapter discusses the sources of English law, legislation, custom, case law, and EU law. It includes detail of how an Act of Parliament is created, an explanation of delegated legislation, and how legislation is interpreted by the courts. In considering case law, the importance of judicial precedent and how the system of precedence functions is fully explained. The chapter also discusses the major institutions of the EU including the jurisdiction of the Court of Justice of the European Union. The sources of EU law, treaties, regulations, directives, and decisions are outlined. The chapter discusses the 2016 referendum and the position of EU law in the UK during the negotiation period for the UK’s exit from the EU. Detail is given of the rights protected under the European Convention on Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms and the impact of the Human Rights Act 1998.


Author(s):  
Lucy Jones

This chapter discusses the sources of English law, legislation, custom, case law, and EU law. It includes detail of how an Act of Parliament is created, an explanation of delegated legislation, and how legislation is interpreted by the courts. In considering case law, the importance of judicial precedent and how the system of precedence functions is fully explained. The chapter also discusses the major institutions of the EU including the jurisdiction of the Court of Justice of the European Union. The sources of EU law, treaties, regulations, directives, and decisions are outlined. The chapter outlines the 2016 referendum and the position of EU law in the UK during the negotiation period for the UK’s exit from the EU and the likely impact of the UK’s exit from the EU. Detail is given of the rights protected under the European Convention on Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms and the impact of the Human Rights Act 1998.


Author(s):  
Merris Amos

In recent years, there has been considerable discussion of the dialogue which takes place between UK courts, adjudicating in claims brought under the Human Rights Act 1998, and the European Court of Human Rights. This chapter examines the characteristics of this relationship and, utilising case law examples, considers the question of whether the metaphor of dialogue is entirely accurate. Also considered are the outcomes, both actual and potential, from a dialogue between national courts and a supranational court. It is clear that dialogue can have an impact on the creation of human rights norms, judicial power, and the legitimacy of human rights law. The UK example is employed to illustrate these outcomes in practice, and also to highlight the potential pitfalls of extensive dialogue with a supranational court.


Legal Studies ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 38 (3) ◽  
pp. 360-378
Author(s):  
Benedict Douglas

AbstractAre we defined by the choices we make or the duties we owe? This paper argues that there is a conflict between the fundamental conception of the individual as possessing the capacity to choose how to live, which has been held to be the foundation of the European Convention on Human Rights, and the understanding of the individual as a bearer of duties which has long underpinned the UK Constitution. Through case law analysis, it is shown that the tension between these two understandings of the individual underlies the troubled acceptance of the Human Rights Act 1998, and influences the UK judiciary's substantive interpretations of the Convention rights. It is ultimately argued that for the Convention rights to be fully accepted in the UK, the evolution from a duty to a choice-based understanding of the individual, which was artificially accelerated by the Human Rights Act, must be more widely accepted by society and the courts.


2010 ◽  
Vol 16 (5) ◽  
pp. 361-368
Author(s):  
Martin Curtice ◽  
Tim Hawkins

SummaryThe United Nations' 1959 Declaration of the Rights of the Child states that ‘the child, by reason of his physical and mental immaturity, needs special safeguards and care, including appropriate legal protection, before as well as after birth’. In the UK, children and young people are afforded protection by two important pieces of legislation: the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Human Rights Act 1998. There have been plentiful and varied challenges involving children and young people, in particular under Article 8 of the Human Rights Act. This review of Article 8 cases demonstrates both its use and key principles underpinning its use.


Author(s):  
Simon Evans ◽  
Julia Watson

This chapter examines the influence of the new Commonwealth model of human rights protection (exemplified by the UK Human Rights Act 1998) on the form of the two Australian statutory Bills of Rights, and then considers the impact of Australia's distinctive legal culture and constitutional structure on the operation of these instruments. In particular, it examines the impact of culture and structure in the decision of the High Court of Australia in R. v Momcilovic [2011] HCA 34; (2011) 280 A.L.R. As a result of that case, key features of the Australian Bills of Rights now diverge from the dominant UK approach, a divergence so striking that it may no longer be possible to identify the Australian Bills of Rights as exemplars of the new Commonwealth model.


Author(s):  
John Stanton ◽  
Craig Prescott

One of the most fundamental aspects of any constitution are the provisions and measures that protect the rights and freedoms of individuals. In the UK, rights protection is markedly different to that in America, in chief because there is no entrenched Bill of Rights. Rights protection is dominated by the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), incorporated by the Human Rights Act 1998, which sets out a number of positive rights that are actionable in the UK courts This chapter discusses the ways in which these rights are protected in the UK Constitution. It discusses the courts' historic civil liberties approach and common law protection of rights, before then examining the development, incorporation, and application of the ECHR. The chapter also explores the way in which the various sections of the Human Rights Act 1998 work to ensure appropriate enforcement and protection of rights in UK law.


2019 ◽  
pp. 10-36
Author(s):  
Maureen Spencer ◽  
John Spencer

This chapter focuses on the burden of proof and presumption of innocence in criminal and civil cases under Article 6 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). It considers the influence of the UK’s Human Rights Act 1998 on the allocation of the burden of proof and compares legal/persuasive burden of proof with the evidential burden. It contains a detailed examination of the case law under this Act and the criteria developed to assess where reverse burdens should apply. It draws on academic commentary in making this analysis. It also looks at situations where the legal and the evidential burden may be split. It concludes with an overview of the law on presumptions.


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