Court dismisses appeal for right to assisted suicide

On 29 November 2001, the Ontario Court of Appeal issued a lengthy decision overturning a lower-court judgment in favour of three hemophiliacs infected with HIV in 1985 through contaminated blood-factor concentrate. The joint decision in the three cases of Robb, Rintoul, and Farrow is the latest decision in litigation dating back to 1992. The plaintiffs alleged negligence by the Canadian Red Cross Society and the Canadian government for delays in introducing heat-treated concentrate after the risks posed by unheated product were known.     

India: constitutional challenge to anti-sodomy law

On 7 December 2001, the Naz Foundation India Trust filed a petition with the Delhi High Court alleging that the prohibitions on sodomy in Indian law are unconstitutional.     

South Africa: constitutional court rejects constitutional challenge to law criminalizing prostitution

On 9 October 2002, a majority of South Africa's Constitutional Court dismissed appeals from convictions for prostitution and keeping a brothel, rejecting arguments that the law was unconstitutional. However, the minority decision, endorsed by five of eleven judges, found that the provision that made the sex worker but not the client guilty of a criminal offence was discriminatory and should be struck down.     

Therapeutic response to assisted suicide request

The authors review the first publicly reported case of legal assisted suicide in the United States and discuss possible clinical responses other than assistance in suicide. Psychiatric observers have noted that acceptance of assisted suicide or euthanasia as a medical option has resulted in loss of knowledge about how to respond to suicidal ideation in the seriously ill. The authors discuss specific therapeutic interventions that may be appropriate for seriously ill patients requesting suicide.     

Ontario Court of Justice dismisses police negligence case: HIV infection a factor

On 22 February 2001, the case of Chartier v Greaves was dismissed by the Ontario Superior Court of Justice.