Dickens, Bernard M.

The authors note that a systmatic review of national and international developments regarding abortion showed that the progressive liberalization of abortion laws between 1967-1977 and 1977-1988 generally has been maintained during the last decade. This article traces devlopments in national legislation, leading court decisions, and constitutional provisions on abortion worldwide and analyzes United Nations conference documents, observations made by the committees that monitor government compliance with international human rights conventions, and the interpretative literature since 1988.

This article looks at the causes and potential solutions to the high incidence of unsafe motherhood in developing countries. Various causes include social conventions favoring early marriage or creating women's powerlessness to resist unprotected intercourse with HIV/AID infected men; inadequate access to health care and qualified health care providers; and religiously based laws. Part of the article focuses on abortion rights and their socio-economic dimensions.

This article proposed that the legal approach to abortion is evolving from criminal prohibition towards accommodation as a life-preserving and health-perserving option, particularly in light of data on maternal mortality and morbidity. The authors assert that the modern momentum for liberalization comes from international adoption of the concept of reproductive health, and wider recognition that the resort to safe and dignified healthcare is a major human right.

This Article addresses the specific duties of

This article addresses the legal and ethical duties of health service when dealing with prospective patients who are minors. The authors discuss how the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) limits parental powers by emphasizing adolescents' "evolving capacities" for self-determination. The authors address a number of concepts relevant to medical treatment and the rights and capacity of adolescents including "mature minors", "emancipated minors", age of consent, and confidentiality. [Descriptors: Reproductive Rights - Adolescents, International]

This article highlights the key features of the 2003 World Health Organization handbook Safe Abortion: Technical and Policy Guidelines for Health Systems, a non-political guide outlining practical methods for improving abortion services in countries where they are not prohibited. The authors summarize the guide recommendations, including the need for pre- and post-procedure clinical care, review and amendment of existing planning and managing services, including funding and training concerns, and the need for legal policy considerations.

This article discusses various national responses to the HIV/AIDS epidemic, with a particular focus on the incorporation of international guidelines and responses into national strategies. The article begins by reviewing the decisions of national level courts and assesses the extent to which these courts establish the rights of HIV-positive patients to appropriate health care. The authors also consider the particular needs of women patients in clinical care. [Descriptors: Reproductive Rights - HIV/AIDS, International]