经验传统与历史选择:英国早期人权进程分析

英国历史经常出现于学者们的视野中 ,但从人权的角度对其早期历史进行的研究尚不多见。之所以选取这一进路是希望通过本文对英国早期人权进程之初步探究 ,以期收到抛砖引玉之效 ,故不揣浅陋 ,见笑于方家。本文认为 ,英国人的人权进程具有早发性、经验性、稳定性、渐进性等不同于其他国家的特点。这与英国特殊的传统文化背景及地理环境有关系。从《自由大宪章》开始 ,到《权利请愿书》、《人身保护法》 ,再到《权利法案》 ,英国人权的早期历史发展状况 ,正证明了这一点。     

民事再审制度的理论阐释

民事再审制度不仅是我国民事诉讼法学界谈论已久的问题 ,而且也是一个意味深长的重要问题 ,但大多学者将研究的热点集中于再审事由以及再审程序的改造与重构 ,而作者则认为要建立与市场经济相适应的现代民事诉讼中的再审制度 ,必须转变研究的思路与方法。论文以对当事人私权利益予以合理救济为立足点 ,从反思我国现行再审制度入手 ,进而对民事再审制度的理论基础进行相应的阐释。提出民事再审制度存在的价值基础是对私权争议的公正裁判、权利基础是当事人的诉权与处分权、目的基础是对判决既判力正当性的追求     

The proposed model surrogate parenthood act: a legislative response to the challenges of reproductive technology

In this Article, Manus proposes a Model Surrogate Parenthood Act. He examines the medical and scientific history of surrogacy and reviews the jurisprudence in the area, specifically the constitutional relationship between procreation rights and surrogacy. The author asserts that surrogate motherhood cannot be, and indeed, should not be, eradicated through legislation criminalizing it. The proposed Model Act, presented here in its entirety, attempts to reduce the problems inherent in the concept of surrogate parenthood by putting the process under strict court supervision and by zealously protecting the rights of the surrogate mother and the child to be conceived.     

股权出资问题研究

《公司法修改草案》将股权纳入出资形式当中,这一做法是值得商榷的。在公司法上,可以作为出资标的物应当符合两项标准:具有确定的价值和可以自由转让。股权作为一项综合性的权利,在不同的公司类型中体现出不同的特征。只有上市公司的流通股和非上市公司的社会公众股能够作为出资标的,而有限责任公司和发起设立的股份有限公司的股权则不宜作为出资标的。并且,《公司法》在承认部分股权可以作为出资的同时,也应当增设相应的救济措施,以弥补股权出资所可能带来的负面影响。     

Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act amendments--BIA, IHS. Notice of proposed rulemaking

The Secretaries of the Department of Interior (DOI) and the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) propose a joint rule to implement section 107 of the Indian Self-Determination Act, as amended, including Title I, Public Law 103-413, the Indian Self-Determination Contract Reform Act of 1994. A joint rule, as required by section 107(a)(2)(A)(ii) of the Act, will permit the Departments to award contracts and grants to Indian tribes without the unnecessary burden or confusion associated with having two sets of rules for single program legislation. In section 107(a)(1) of the Act Congress delegated to the Departments limited legislative rulemaking authority in certain specified subject matter areas, and the joint rule addresses only those specific areas. As required by section 107(d) of the Act, the Departments have developed this proposed rule with active tribal participation, using the guidance of the Negotiated Rulemaking Act.     

11 September 2001, Counter-terrorism, and the Human Rights Act

The attacks of 11 September 2001 and the reaction to them has been the gravest challenge to date to the Human Rights Act 1998. The Antiterrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001 has expanded the remit of the Terrorism Act 2000 and there has been a new concentration on antiterrorism by government. This article assesses the impact of human rights law on the debate about liberty and security following 11 September. It considers how the provisions of the Human Rights Act have influenced the formulation and interpretation of anti-terrorism laws, and examines the role of the judiciary in adjudicating on disputes between the individual and the state. It ends with some general discussion about the security-driven challenges to human rights that lie ahead.     

Good cop, bad cop: federal prosecution of state-legalized medical marijuana use after United States v. Lopez

The Supreme Court's recent decisions in United States v. Lopez and United States v. Morrison articulate a vision of federalism under which Congress's regulatory authority under the Commerce Clause is severely limited in favor of returning traditional areas of state concern, particularly criminal law enforcement, to local or state control. The Court's decisions in these cases coincide with ballot initiatives legalizing the medical use of marijuana garnering a majority of the vote in California, Arizona, Alaska, Colorado, Nevada, Oregon, Washington, Maine, and Washington D.C. Those who use marijuana for medical purposes under sanction of state law, however, still face the threat of federal prosecution under the Controlled Substances Act. Medical marijuana proponents have traditionally, and unsuccessfully, contested federal prosecution using individual rights arguments under theories of equal protection or substantive due process. This Comment argues that after Lopez and Morrison, the federal government's authority to regulate intrastate use of marijuana for medicinal purposes is not the foregone conclusion it once was. The author suggests that proponents of medical marijuana use should invoke the federalism arguments of Lopez and Morrison and argue for state legislative independence from the federal government on this issue.     

"Just say no!": the right to refuse psychotropic medication in long-term care facilities

This article examines the rights of patients, particularly incompetent patients, in long-term care facilities to refuse psychotropic medication. In exploring this topic, the author focuses on the provisions of the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1987 which was part of a Congressional solution to afford greater protection to residents of long-term care facilities. Because the legislation has not lived up to expectations, the author advocates for further legislative action to protect the dwindling bundle of rights of the elderly.     

Human rights and health law

Important statutory and common law developments are changing the landscape of health law in Australia. Human rights considerations are formally included amongst the factors to be applied in the interpretation of statutory provisions and evaluating the lawfulness of actions on the part of government instrumentalities. The Human Rights Act 2004 (ACT) and the Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities Act 2006 (Vic) create limited bills of rights at State/Territory level in two Australian jurisdictions. Although neither is entrenched, they have the potential to make it more difficult for government to promulgate laws that are inconsistent with human rights, as defined. They will have important repercussions for the evolution of health law in these jurisdictions. The decision of Royal Women's Hospital v Medical Practitioners Board (Vic) [2006] VSCA 85 by the Victorian Court of Appeal has also provided a legitimation for parties to incorporate human rights perspectives in submissions about the interpretation of statutory provisions where health rights are in conflict.     

Problems with the Human Rights Act 1998 and How to Remedy Them: Is a Bill of Rights the Answer?

Recently there has been much discussion of the prospect of replacing, or supplementing, the Human Rights Act 1998 (HRA) with a British bill of rights. The Government, opposition Conservative Party and others have published detailed plans and research reports. Whilst there has been some limited examination of the alleged failures of the HRA in providing effective legal protection for human rights, the debate has not been accompanied by a thorough examination of these types of problems with the HRA, free from political criticisms. Drawing on research concerning aspects of the HRA carried out over the past ten years, it is possible to identify concrete problems which have prevented the HRA from meeting the objectives originally set for it. But given the limitations of the present debate, future plans do not adequately address many of these problems making it uncertain how effective any new bill of rights will actually be.     

Empowerment and State Education: Rights of Choice and Participation

Two separate discourses surround the involvement of parents in their children's education in schools. One is concerned with what is often referred to as 'parent power,' based on the conferment on parents of rights to a degree of choice and participation in respect of their children's education, a feature of legislative changes to the governance of state education that started with the Education Act 1980 and which, in part, rests on consumerist and liberal rights based notions. The other focuses on the home-school partnership ideal in which parents and schools have obligations to support each other in realising children's potential. Labour and Conservative 2005 general election campaigns included proposals to 'empower' parents. But social rights such as those in education, which are important to notions of citizenship, tend to be weak. This article concludes that over the past 25 years little power has been ceded to parents, individually or collectively, and that, in the case of rights of choice at least, any further empowerment seems unrealistic. Moreover, the principal mechanism of parental involvement, particularly since 1997, has been the enforcement of parental responsibility, a form of 'technology of citizenship'. The extent to which children hold participation and choice rights is also considered.     

WTO体制下中国商事组织法三大变革析论

中国商事组织法存在的创新机制缺失、身份立法、经营范围僵化等问题,不仅使我国商事组织在加入WTO后更为激烈的国际竞争中处于不利地位,而且构成中国履行相关国际承诺的障碍。为此,应在肯定商事组织法原有原则的前提下弱化法定原则、确立国民待遇原则和规则效率原则,并在根据新原则对中国商事组织权利能力和行为能力制度重构的基础上,设计商事组织经营范围和外贸经营权的改革方案,具体讲,就是应废除三资企业法、《全民所有制企业法》、《乡镇企业法》和《私营企业暂行条例》,将其所调整的商事组织分别归属于《公司法》、《合伙企业法》和《个人独资企业法》,并引进有限合伙、有限责任合伙等形式丰富我国合伙企业的类型。     

Biomedical research with human embryos: changes in the legislation on assisted reproduction in Spain.

This study deals with issues of research with human embryos obtained through in vitro fertilization in the context of the Spanish Law. The paper focuses on Act 14/2006 on techniques of human assisted reproduction, which replaces the previous Act from 1988. The author claims that the main goals of Act 14/2006 are, on the one hand, to eliminate the restrictions affecting research with human embryos put in place by Act 45/2003 and, on the other, to pave the way for a future legislation on biomedical research. This paper argues for the need of an effective and adequate juridical protection of human embryos obtained in vitro according to responsibility and precautionary principles.     

The human genome, property of all: opportunities under the ALRC inquiry into gene patenting and human health

This article highlights the revolutionary and dramatic implications brought about by the advances in genetics. Among the myriad of legal problems involved, gene patenting is regarded as one of the most controversial. In a critical evaluation of the current inquiry into gene patenting and human health, the author argues that the Australian Law Reform Commission falls short of a thorough recommendation by failing to grant due recognition to the Universal Declaration on the Human Genome and Human Rights. Starting with the fundamental premise that the human genome is the 'heritage of humanity', it is argued that the fruits of genetic research must flow back to humankind, and any law reform process must thereby ensure that the economic and health benefits of genetic research are available to all. Specifically, the Patents Act 1990 (Cth) should be amended to include the 'medical treatment' defence to patent infringement, following the lead of overseas jurisdictions. It should also incorporate an 'experimental use' defence to ensure an unhindered approach to research and development. In doing so, the patent law regime will be truly balancing the interests at stake, which will accommodate more fully Australia's domestic needs and international obligations.     

试论技术入股股东的权利、义务与法律责任

技术出资方式迥然不同于货币、实物、土地使用权等出资方式,技术入股股东不仅具有其他股东的权利、义务与法律责任,而且还具有自己的特殊权利、特殊义务与特殊法律责任。从技术入股角度出发,《中华人民共和国公司法》有关股东权利、义务与法律责任的规定需要充实。     

《森林法》修改的几个问题

作者提出了《中华人民共和国森林法》修改的基本思路,主张修改后的《森林法》应该成为森林资源法律子体系中的核心法律,林业行业的基本法律,即全面反映当代新型林业和森林资源在我国经济、社会和环境建设中重要地位和全面作用。认为在修改《森林法》时,必须坚持以可持续发展观为指导,体现当代环境资源法的基本理念,在有关问题上与国际法接轨,认真总结和吸收国内有关环境资源和林业的法制建设经验。《森林法》修改应该建立在对森林的性质、特点和作用的科学认识的基础上,针对我国现实存在的森林资源环境问题,突出森林保护和森林生态建设,加强对经济手段和市场机制的采用,加强对公众参与等社会调整机制的采用。     

Prisoners' Families and the Regulation of Contact

This article explores HM Prison Service policy and the impact of case law on the rights of prisoners to family contact. First, state provision and policy for prisoner-family contact is reviewed and the constraints imposed on contact over the past decade are explored. A number of legal challenges to these constraints have been made recently and, drawing on domestic case law and challenges in the European Court of Human Rights we explore the nature of prisoners' rights of contact in prison. This analysis shows that while fathers' rights for indirect contact are upheld, their rights are not respected as much as those of mothers in cases of direct contact and also that men unable to establish family life have their rights further eroded. Drawing upon empirical research findings as well as case law, the relationship between the Prison Act 1952 and the Children Act 1989 is considered and policy recommendations are put forward.     

Standards for privacy of individually identifiable health information. Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, DHHS. Final rule

This rule includes standards to protect the privacy of individually identifiable health information. The rules below, which apply to health plans, health care clearinghouses, and certain health care providers, present standards with respect to the rights of individuals who are the subjects of this information, procedures for the exercise of those rights, and the authorized and required uses and disclosures of this information. The use of these standards will improve the efficiency and effectiveness of public and private health programs and health care services by providing enhanced protections for individually identifiable health information. These protections will begin to address growing public concerns that advances in electronic technology and evolution in the health care industry are resulting, or may result in, a substantial erosion of the privacy surrounding individually identifiable health information maintained by health care providers, health plans and their administrative contractors. This rule implements the privacy requirements of the Administrative Simplification subtitle of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996.     

丹麦刑事法研究及对我国的启示

本文通过旁征博引的深入分析论证,揭示了丹麦刑法典与刑事执行法的历史演变、四大基本特色--充分尊重且保障公民人权、注重与国际刑法规范协调、反映恐怖主义犯罪最新动态、矫正为本的刑事政策及其对中国的启示。作者认为,丹麦刑法典与刑事执行法堪称具有21世纪欧陆法制锐意改革新理念的刑事法律,无论是其一以贯之的刑事政策思想抑或立法技术,均值得我国学习借鉴。