Human Reproduction And The Law LAW4024

  • Academic Session: 2024-25
  • School: School of Law
  • Credits: 40
  • Level: Level 4 (SCQF level 10)
  • Typically Offered: Runs Throughout Semesters 1 and 2
  • Available to Visiting Students: Yes
  • Collaborative Online International Learning: No

Short Description

This course covers core topics relating to Human Reproduction and the Law including reproductive rights, assisted reproductive technologies, surrogacy, contraception, sterilisation, abortion, fetal protection, maternal/ fetal conflict, pre-natal injury, wrongful life, wrongful conception. It will also include associated issues such as embryo research and may be varied by year to include emerging topical controversies

Timetable

The seminar programme will run on Tuesdays from1100-1300 for fifteen weeks in semesters one and two.

Requirements of Entry

This course is only available to LLB students.

Excluded Courses

None

Co-requisites

None

Assessment

- 3,000 word essay (30%) (1st semester) - 3 hour exam (70%) (2nd semester)

Main Assessment In: April/May

Are reassessment opportunities available for all summative assessments? Not applicable for Honours courses

Reassessments are normally available for all courses, except those which contribute to the Honours classification. Where, exceptionally, reassessment on Honours courses is required to satisfy professional/accreditation requirements, only the overall course grade achieved at the first attempt will contribute to the Honours classification. For non-Honours courses, students are offered reassessment in all or any of the components of assessment if the satisfactory (threshold) grade for the overall course is not achieved at the first attempt. This is normally grade D3 for undergraduate students and grade C3 for postgraduate students. Exceptionally it may not be possible to offer reassessment of some coursework items, in which case the mark achieved at the first attempt will be counted towards the final course grade. Any such exceptions for this course are described below.

Course Aims

This course deals with the legal and ethical problems associated with human reproduction and the role which medicine has to play in that process. Issues considered include: the rights and wrongs of abortion and legal regulation thereof, assisted conception and access to reproductive technologies, surrogacy, the legal and ethical status of contraceptive techniques including sterilisation, and possible conflict between pregnant women and fetuses. Underlying these particular issues will be questions such as fitness to parent, whether there is or ought to be a right to reproduce, and ethical, social, economic and practical limitations on such a right. A comparative approach is a strong element of this course.

Intended Learning Outcomes of Course

By the end of this course students will be able to:

- identify and demonstrate understanding of the current law in the UK and other jurisdictions, where relevant, as it relates to issues arising from human reproduction (and associated issues relating to human embryos and fetuses) covered by this course

- evaluate and constructively criticise the current law in this area

- propose, evaluate and constructively criticise possible reforms of the law

- understand and critically evaluate areas of controversy within the subject matter

Minimum Requirement for Award of Credits

  Students must submit at least 75% by weight of the components (including examinations) of the course's summative assessment.