Death before life: The legal status of cadaveric foetuses

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Abstract

The issue of how to dispose of aborted foetuses is a sensitive ethical and legal issue
which relates directly to the legal status of the foetus. An illustrative example of this
issue’s practical legal relevance is the Danish Council of Ethics’ recommendation
of March 3, 2011, in reply to the Municipality of Odense regarding the establishment
of a separate anonymous lawn for aborted foetuses at the town’s principal cemetery
in order to provide parents with a free and optional alternative to the current procedure.The aim of this article is to analyse death before life in Danish law and to offer
some general reflections on the legal status of cadaveric foetuses.
Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationNordic Health Law in a European Context : Welfare State Perspectives on Patients' Rights and Biomedicine
EditorsMette Hartlev, Elisabeth Rynning
Number of pages7
Place of PublicationLund
PublisherLiber
Publication dateOct 2011
Pages304-310
ISBN (Print)978-91-47-09748-7
Publication statusPublished - Oct 2011

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