The legal status of the fetus: an international review

The article examines the way that courts and legislatures in the United Kingdom, the United States of America, Canada and Australia have answered questions regarding the legal status of a fetus. These questions have arisen in a variety of legal situations: the article deals with succession, criminal, child protection and negligence law. The conclusion offered is that a fetus has a value and an existence that the law should recognise. This does not mean, however, that in all circumstances the law should protect the interests of the fetus. Law-makers will respond differently to claims made on behalf of a fetus, depending on the context. The fetus does not have a uniform value or character in the eyes of the law. The law makes choices as to the situations in which it will take account of actual or threatened antenatal harm.     

The legal status of the Jews in England 1190–1790∗

A History of Private Law in Europe. FRANZ WIEACKER (trans, by Tony Weir; foreword by Reinhard Zimmermann). Oxford. 1995. Clarendon Press, xviii + 509 pp. (incl. Indexes). £55 hb. ISBN 0 19 825861 5.

Introduction historique au droit des personnes et de lafamille. ANNE LEFEBVRE‐TEILLARD. Paris: Puf. 1996. 475 pp. FF 149. ISBN 2 13 047891 3.

’lus principale’ e ‘catholica lex.’ Dal Teodosiano agli editti su Calcedonia. E. DOVERE. Napoli. 1995. Jovene (Pubblicazioni del Dipartimento di Diritto romano e storia della scienza romanistica dell'Universita degli Studi di Napoli Federico II, Vol. VIII). x + 324 pp. L.50.000.

Religious Liberty in Western Thought. NOEL B. REYNOLDS and W. COLE DURHAM, JR. (eds.). Atlanta. Scholars Press. 1996. 312 pp. ISBN 0 7885 0319 7/0 7885 0320 0.

Sisifo e Penelope. GUILIO UBERTIS. Turin. 1993. G. Giappichelli Editore. 271 pp. L.35.000 pb. ISBN 88 348 4001 1.

Crime and Punishment in American Society. LAWRENCE M. FRIEDMAN. Basic Books. 1993. viii + 577. pp. (incl. Index). ISBN 0 456 01487 9.

Bound by our Constitution: Women, Workers, and the Minimum Wage. VIVIEN HART. Princeton University Press. 1994. xv + 255 pp. (incl. Index). £24.95 pb. ISBN 0 691 03480 X.     

论实际承运人的法律地位

论述实际承运人向货方承担责任是否导致运输合同相对性的突破是解决实际承运人法律地位问题的关键,分析在法定责任下和约定责任下实际承运人的法律地位,指出实际承运人是承运人的债务履行辅助人,运输合同突破至实际承运人不具有实际的意义,反而会损害贷方利益.     

论开发区管理委员会的法律地位

开发区管理委员会作为地方政府的派出机关．在管理开发区的过程中发挥了重要作用．但在实际运作过程中,由于其法律地位不明确,阻碍了开发区更好＼更快的发展。因此。我们应该积极推进相关立法．进一步明确管委会的法律地位和行政性质,明确开发区的机构设置、管理职能和人员编制等,以保证开发区经济引擎作用的发挥。     

The legal status of abortion in the states if Roe v. Wade is overruled

This article explores the legal status of abortion in the States if the Supreme Court overrules Roe v. Wade, 410 U.S. 113 (1973), and Doe v. Bolton, 410 U.S. 179 (1973), as modified by Planned Parenthood v. Casey, 505 U.S. 833 (1992). Although an overruling decision eventually could have a significant effect on the legal status of abortion, the immediate impact of such a decision would be far more modest than most commentators-on both sides of the issue-believe. More than two-thirds of the States have repealed their pre-Roe laws or have amended those laws to conform to Roe v. Wade, which allows abortion for any reason before viability and for virtually any reason after viability. Pre-Roe laws that have been expressly repealed would not be revived by the overruling of Roe. Only three States that repealed their pre-Roe laws (or amended them to conform to Roe) have enacted post-Roe laws attempting to prohibit some or most abortions throughout pregnancy. Those laws have been declared unconstitutional by the federal courts and are not now enforceable. Of the less than one-third of the States that have retained their pre-Roe laws, most would be ineffective in prohibiting abortions. This is (1) because the laws, by their express terms or as interpreted, allow abortion on demand, for undefined health reasons or for a broad range of reasons (including mental health), or (2) because of state constitutional limitations. In yet other States, the pre-Roe laws prohibiting abortion may have been repealed by implication, due to the enactment of comprehensive post-Roe laws regulating abortion. In sum, no more than twelve States, and possibly as few as eight, would have enforceable laws on the books that would prohibit most abortions in the event Roe, Doe and Casey are overruled. In the other States (and the District of Columbia) abortion would be legal for most or all reasons throughout pregnancy. Although the long-term impact of reversing Roe could be quite dramatic, the author concludes that the immediate impact of such a decision would be very limited. This article is current through May 1st, 2007.     

The legal status of abortion in the States if Roe v. Wade is overruled

This article explores the legal status of abortion in the States if the Supreme Court overrules Roe v. Wade, 410 U.S. 113 (1973), and Doe v. Bolton, 410 U.S. 179 (1973), as modified by Planned Parenthood v. Casey, 505 U.S. 833 (1992). Although an overruling decision eventually could have a significant effect on the legal status of abortion, the immediate impact of such a decision would be far more modest than most commentators on both sides of the issue believe. More than two-thirds of the States have expressly repealed their pre-Roe laws or have amended those laws to conform to the trimester scheme of Roe v. Wade, which allows abortions for any reason before viability and for virtually any reason after viability. Those laws would not be revived by the overruling of Roe. Only a few of those States have enacted post-Roe laws that would prohibit most abortions if Roe were overruled. Slightly less than one-third of the States have not expressly repealed their pre-Roe laws. Many of those laws would notbe effective to prohibit abortion if Roe were overruled either because they allow abortion on demand, for undefined reasons of health or for mental health reasons; because enforcement would be precluded on state constitutional grounds; or because the pre-Roe laws prohibiting abortion have been repealed by implication with the enactment of post-Roe laws regulating abortion. In sum, no more than eleven States, and very possibly as few as eight, would have laws on the books that would prohibit most abortions if Roe were overruled.     

Factors predictive of changes in the legal status of psychiatric inpatients

The objective of this study was to identify factors predictive of duration of involuntary hospitalization, i.e., factors that would predict early versus late conversion to voluntary status. Charts of 209 patients admitted involuntarily to an acute psychiatric inpatient unit were studied using a naturalistic, prospective design. Multivariate regression analysis was used to determine the effect of a number of variables in predicting duration of involuntary hospitalization. Of all variables studied, only smoking preference was found to be a statistically significant predictor of duration of involuntary hospitalization. Smokers were converted to voluntary status earlier than non-smokers. The authors concluded that clinicians may not be using commitment statutes as per recommended legal guidelines. Patients who smoke may be applying overt and covert pressure on clinicians with regard to conversion to voluntary status to gain smoking privileges.     

论按揭的法律地位

本文研究的是按揭,将从整体上对与按揭相关的一些问题作一个初步的分析。这些问题大致是：1．什么是按揭?中国大陆的按揭与英美法上的接揭(mortgage)有何不同?2．为什么说按揭是一种独立的物权形式,它与抵押、质押、让与担保有何不同?3．按揭的法律定位是什么?也就是本文的最后结论。…….     

大陆法系民事诉讼鉴定人的法律定位及相关问题研析

大陆法系国家及地区的民事审判实行"职权进行主义(Verhandlungsmaxime)".在其诉讼程序中,以自己专业知识辅助法官查明案件事实的案外人被称为"鉴定人",其口头或书面陈述被称为"鉴定意见".就鉴定人的诉讼地位识别而言,大陆法系的通说为"折衷论",即侧重于将鉴定人视为一种"法官的专业辅助人",仅在有限的程度上才会兼顾其另一属性—"证据方法".大陆法系民事诉讼的具体制度一贯强调"鉴定人不偏不倚的中立性",极力排斥其"党派性".在鉴定人制度方面,大陆法系主要存在两大缺陷:一是在案件事实判断方面,法官过于依赖其指定的鉴定人,存在后者非法篡夺前者事实认定权的问题和现象;二是由于交叉询问制度(the cross-examination)的缺乏,再加上私人鉴定人过于弱小的诉讼地位,使大陆法系的法律系统无法有效地控制和评估鉴定人的意见.这两大缺陷都与识别鉴定人地位的"折衷论"有关.     

最高人民法院裁判、司法解释的法律地位

The decisions and the legislative interpretations of judicial interpretations of the Supreme Court of China can be considered as a part of Mainland China’s customary law, and carried by decisions and judicial interpretations. Customary law is the very source of its normal force and they are supposed to be an informal source of the law for they have the required characteristics for substantiating customary law. Accordingly, the legislative judicial interpretations and decisions of the Supreme Court that are qualified to be promulgated in the Gazette of the Supreme Court should be standardized by the requisites of customary law and have the quality supposed to be universally fair. Cao Shibing is a senior judge of the Supreme Court of China majoring in civil law, and he was awarded the doctorate of law by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. Till now, he has published an amount of academic works, for instance, On Anti-monopoly Law (1996), Resolve of the Problems in the Suretyship Law of China and its Prospect (2001), On Insolvency Law of China (2003), and his translated book in Chinese (1998) —The Death of Contract (originally written by Grant Gilmore in 1995).     

论船舶经营人在船舶碰撞中的责任主体地位

针对应当如何确定船舶经营人在船舶碰撞中的责任主体地位这一难点问题,从界定船舶经营人的概念入手,分析船舶经营人在海上运输中的法律地位,归纳、总结认定船舶碰撞损害责任主体应遵循的三个基本原则,并在此基础上展开分析、论证,提出船舶在委托经营期间发生碰撞事故,船舶经营人应当作为责任主体承担损害赔偿责任的结论.     

论船舶经营人在船舶碰撞中的责任主体地位

针对应当如何确定船舶经营人在船舶碰撞中的责任主体地位这一难点问题,从界定船舶经营人的概念入手,分析船舶经营人在海上运输中的法律地位,归纳、总结认定船舶碰撞损害责任主体应遵循的三个基本原则,并在此基础上展开分析、论证,提出船舶在委托经营期间发生碰撞事故,船舶经营人应当作为责任主体承担损害赔偿责任的结论。     

《内地与香港关于建立更紧密经贸关系的安排》的法律地位

The nature of the Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement (CEPA) is a free trade agreement under the framework of the WTO. For the purpose of clarifying the legal status of the CEPA and the future agreements between the Mainland and other separate customs territories of China, four options are brought forward: (1) To revise the PRC Foreign Trade Law, (2) to make amendment to the Basic Law of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of China, (3) to have a special law on the conclusion of the interregional agreements, or (4) to amend the PRC Constitution. Wang Wei, Ph.D, is an associate professor at School of Law, Fudan University, China. Before, he was a research fellow at the Faculty of Law, University of Hong Kong. He holds an LL.B. from the East China University of Political Science and Law, an LL.M. from Fudan University in international law, an LL.M. from Southern Methodist University in comparative and international law (Sohmen Scholar), a Ph.D from the University of London in law (the John and Joan Jackson Scholar). Dr. Wang wrote a number of articles on WTO law, financial law and commercial law, such as Historical Evolution of National Treatment in China (39 International Lawyer 759–779, Fall Issue, 2005). He has spoken and chaired conferences and seminars in London, Hong Kong and Mainland of China. Recently he acts as consultant in banking law projects, including the Asian Development Bank.     

民法草案人格权法编评述

一、民法草案人格权法编的亮点和成功之处     

The juridical status of the fetus: a proposal for legal protection of the unborn

This article investigates the juridical status of the fetus. It assesses what this status should be in the light of recent developments in case law, legislation, medicine, and technology (particularly in vitro fertilization). The article is presented in 5 sections: Section 1 deals with the supreme court's landmark decision in Roe vs. Wade, which relied on biological stages of fetal development rather than philosophical determination of when life begins. Section 2 examines the historical reliance on birth as the point at which legal protection vests in the developing human. Section 3 compares fetuses with newborn children, identifying relevant similarities and differences. Section 4 studies whether the fetus at all stages of development should have the same protection (the author concludes they should not). Section 5 examines the practical implications of choosing viability as a developmental stage of special significance for legal protection.     

派出机构法律地位及改革思路的若干思考

派出机构是行政机关为更好地实现其对国家事务和社会事务的管理而设立的一种行政组织,遍布行政管理的各个领域。在行政执法、行政复议以及行政诉讼中,派出机构视不同情形具有不同的法律地位。目前派出机构在设置、职能、管理以及监督方面都存在不少问题,需要通过立法加强对其法律规制。     

论人类基因及基因信息的法律地位

明确人类基因及基因信息的法律地位是对其进行法律规制的前提。基因属于物质的范畴,而基因信息是一种信息,二者是构成世界的两种不同的元素,因此,在法律上需要对二者区别对待。基因在没有与特定的人体分离的时候,是身体权的客体;而当其与人体分离之后,则可以成为财产权的客体。基因信息可以分为整个人类共同所有的不具有差异性的基因信息、某一人类族群所共同拥有的基因信息和标志着个人特征的基因信息三类;前二者分别属于人类共同继承的财产和国家财产;第三类则既可以成为财产权的客体,又可以成为人格权中的隐私权的客体。