The legal implications of prenatal diagnosis in Malaysia

Background: Prenatal diagnosis enables detection of any disease or disability of the fetus during the pregnancy of a woman. Parents whose fetus is found to have a serious disorder from antenatal testing may terminate the pregnancy if it is permitted by the law or continue with the pregnancy to term. However, the chance of terminating a pregnancy may be denied if there is prenatal negligence by the medical practitioner in terms of diagnosis or failure to advise on the test results correctly. The purpose of this research is to examine the possible legal implications of prenatal diagnosis in Malaysia. Methods: This study adopts doctrinal legal research in which the researcher examines statutes and decided cases in Malaysia, the United Kingdom (UK) and Singapore relating to abortion, wrongful birth and wrongful life claims, in order to determine the legal implications of prenatal diagnosis in Malaysia. Results: In Malaysia, abortion following a prenatal diagnosis is only legally possible if the statutory criteria in the Penal Code are met. Abortion is illegal if it is not done for therapeutic purposes. A wrongful birth action brought by a woman who claims to be deprived of the opportunity to terminate her pregnancy may be successful in Malaysia, if it can be proven that a legal abortion could have been performed if not because of the prenatal negligence of the medical practitioner. However, a wrongful life action brought in the child’s name for being allowed to be born with a disability may not be viable since the claim could hardly be established and it is against the public policy. Conclusions: Theoretically, it is possible to bring a wrongful birth action resulted from negligence in prenatal diagnosis successfully in Malaysia, but the chance is relatively slim for wrongful life action.

5. Abortion and prenatal harm

This chapter is concerned with the statutory provisions governing abortion and prenatal harm. It considers the offence of abortion under sections 58 and 59 of the Offences against the Person Act 1861 and section 1(1) of the Infant Life (Preservation) Act 1929 and the defences available prior to the Abortion Act 1967. It discusses the ethical debates concerning abortion, exploring ‘right-to-life’ arguments and rights of parties such as the foetus and the father. It also looks at the court’s approach towards adult women who lack capacity, before concluding with an analysis of actions for prenatal harm, namely, wrongful birth, wrongful conception, prenatal injury, and wrongful life. Relevant cases are cited.

Preimplantation Genetics

This chapter highlights the uses and ethical implications of preimplantation genetic testing and addresses the topic of liability as it applies to use of this technology to screen and select embryos for chromosomal abnormalities and genetic traits prior to implantation. When errors or wrongs occur, there may be significant medical, psychological, and economic implications for those individuals who sought preimplantation testing to avoid a genetic disease or to improve the chance of achieving pregnancy. Informed consent, wrongful birth, and wrongful life claims may be available to those who are harmed due to these errors.

Wrongful Birth and Wrongful Life Action: Does Vietnamese Legal System Practice?

Wrongful birth and wrongful life is a complex issue of Tort law the world over. The vast majority of wrongful birth and wrongful life claims for medical malpractice are brought in the tort of negligence. Increasingly, parents have become more knowledgeable about the various reproductive options available, and there has evolved a body of jurisprudence that has defined and defended the exclusive right of individuals to make their own decisions about conception and childbearing. Besides, seeking damages (economic and non-economic damage) are also essential issues. By introducing and comparing the legal principles of some legal systems, the paper clarifies the general picture of wrongful birth and wrongful life action. This work seeks to answer the question, “does the Vietnamese legal system practice wrongful birth and wrongful life action?” To answer the question, the research paper applies the method of analyzing and comparing some tort law systems related to the content.

El derecho a la vida cuando ésta es frágil como una exigencia de justicia: la perspectiva que ofrecen las acciones de "wrongful birth" y "wrongful life" sobre las personas con discapacidad

En el presente trabajo me propongo reflexionar acerca del incuestionable respeto que merece la vida especialmente vulnerable, como lo es la de los nascituri que padecen algun tipo de discapacidad. Este respeto constituiria una exigencia basica del contenido de la justicia. La reflexion se realiza en el contexto de dos pretendidos nuevos derechos a que han dado lugar las llamadas acciones de wrongful birth y wrongful life originadas en la jurisprudencia anglosajona: se trata del derecho a no nacer (o quiza siendo mas precisos, el derecho a no haber nacido) y del derecho a no nacer con limitaciones fisicas o psiquicas relevantes.

Can there be wrongful life at the end of life? German courts revisit an old problem in a new context

This article discusses a recent ruling by the German Federal Court concerning medical professional liability due to potentially unlawful clinically assisted nutrition and hydration (CANH) at the end of life. This case raises important ethical and legal questions regarding a third person’s right to judge the value of another person’s life and the concept of ‘wrongful life’. In our brief report, we discuss the concepts of the ‘value of life’ and wrongful life, which were evoked by the court, and how these concepts apply to the present case. We examine whether and to what extent value-of-life judgements can be avoided in medical decision-making. The wrongful-life concept is crucial to the understanding of this case. It deals with the question whether life, even when suffering is involved, could ever be worse than death. The effects of this ruling on medical and legal practice in Germany are to be seen. It seems likely that it will discourage claims for compensation following life-sustaining treatment (LST). However, it is unclear to what extent physicians’ decisions will be affected, especially those concerning withdrawal of CANH. We conclude that there is a risk that LST may come to be seen as the ‘safe’ option for the physician, and hence, as always appropriate.

Wrongful Birth: ¿un daño resarcible en el ordenamiento jurídico colombiano?

El presente artículo pretende resolver la siguiente pregunta de investigación: ¿en casos de nacimientos con enfermedades congénitas que involucran una discapacidad física o mental, inadvertidas oportunamente debido a un error de diagnóstico prenatal, es posible pregonar que respecto de los padres se configura un daño susceptible de reparación en el ordenamiento jurídico colombiano? Para dar respuesta a la cuestión, se hace una revisión de la acción denominada wrongful birth en el derecho comparado y su autonomía frente a otras wrongful actions relacionadas con el ejercicio de la libertad reproductiva y la paternidad responsable (wrongful life, wrongful conception y wrongful adoption), con base en lo cual se emprende el análisis de cada uno de los elementos de la responsabilidad civil en nuestro país en los supuestos de wrongful birth, para concluir su viabilidad en Colombia y presentar un esquema de cómo podría ser la reparación de perjuicios.