LAWS8237 Health Law and Bioethics in Global Context

LAWS8237 is only available under certain award programs.

Offered By	Law
Academic Career	Graduate Coursework
Course Subject	Laws
Offered in	Winter Session, 2009 and Winter Session, 2010
Unit Value	6 units
Course Description	Objectives: To provide an updated guide to the ethical, common law and statutory obligations of health care providers, particularly in the ACT and an understanding of the major contemporary areas of controversy involving bioethics, public health law and medicine in the context of pressures created by corporate globalization. Content: The main emphasis will be on a practical approach to issues such as : the constitutional basis of Australian health law, virtue and principle-based approaches to the doctor-patient relationship, the basic law of doctor and patient, consent, disclosure of material risk (including recent high court decisions), confidentiality and access to medical records, misconduct and complaint proceedings, negligence in diagnosis and treatment and the withdrawal, withholding and refusal of medical treatment. The course will also discuss legal issues involved with euthanasia, wrongful birth and wrongful life actions, abortions, the new reproductive technologies, gene therapy, genetic screening, human reproductive cloning, DNA forensic data bases, managed care and human medical research and will provide selected references for any subsequent research in these areas. One particular area of focus will be the impact of international trade agreements on access to medicines in Australia, including the influence of the Australia-United States Free Trade Agreement (‘AUSFTA') on the cost-effectiveness mechanisms utilized under Australia's Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (‘PBS').
Learning Outcomes	Detailed knowledge of ACT health Law Detailed knowledge of Australian and international health law Capacity to calibrate health law against norms of bioethics and international human rights
Indicative Assessment	Students must rely on the Approved Assessment which will be posted to the course homepage on the ANU Law website, prior to the commencement of the course.
Workload	26 Contact Hours (Intensive Delivery) Click here for 2009 Graduate Law Timetable
Course Classification(s)	AdvancedAdvanced courses are designed for students having reached 'first degree' level of assumed knowledge, which provide a deep understanding of contemporary issues; or 'second degree' and higher levels of knowledge; or for transition to research training programs. and SpecialistSpecialist courses are designed for students having reached 'first degree' level of assumed knowledge, which provide for the acquisition of specialist skills; or 'second degree' and higher level of knowledge; or for transition to research training programs; or knowledge associated with professional accreditation.
Areas of Interest	Law
Assumed Knowledge and Required Skills	Undergraduate law or health degrees
Requisite Statement	LAWS8153 Introduction to Legal Reasoning and Research (non-lawyers).
Prescribed Texts	Who Owns Our Health: Medical Professionalism, Law and Leadership Beyond the Age of the market State TA Faunce (UNSW Press 2007) Students will also be required to purchase reading materials from the ANU College of Law
Preliminary Reading	Who Owns our Health TA Faunce (UNSW Press 2007)
Programs	Graduate Diploma in Government and Commercial Law, Master of Government and Commercial Law, and Master of Legal Studies
Academic Contact	Dr Thomas Faunce and Graduate Administration

The information published on the Study at ANU 2009 website applies to the 2009 academic year only. All information provided on this website replaces the information contained in the Study at ANU 2008 website.