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Genetic And Metabolic Screening Of Newborns: Must Health Care Providers Seek Explicit Parental Consent?, Sheila Wildeman, Jocelyn Downie Jan 2001

Genetic And Metabolic Screening Of Newborns: Must Health Care Providers Seek Explicit Parental Consent?, Sheila Wildeman, Jocelyn Downie

Articles, Book Chapters, & Popular Press

In this paper, we provide some background on the history of newborn screening and the legal context within which questions regarding consent must be answered, and then turn to the various arguments that can be made for and against the current approach to parental consent to genetic and metabolic tests administered as part of provincial/territorial newborn screening programs. In the end, we conclude that either practice should be changed to align it with current law such that explicit parental consent is sought for the established tests, or that advocates for maintaining current practices should lobby for legislation permitting newborn screening …


The Arctic Environmental Protection Strategy, Arctic Council And Multilateral Environmental Initiatives: Tinkering While The Arctic Marine Environment Totters, David Vanderzwaag, Robert Huebert, Stacey Ferrara Jan 2001

The Arctic Environmental Protection Strategy, Arctic Council And Multilateral Environmental Initiatives: Tinkering While The Arctic Marine Environment Totters, David Vanderzwaag, Robert Huebert, Stacey Ferrara

Articles, Book Chapters, & Popular Press

The Arctic marine environment is not pristine, as commonly imagined, but is facing numerous pressures,' the most serious arguably coming from outside the region. Melting of sea ice, linked to global warming, threatens the long-term survival of various species including polar bears and has potential to seriously disrupt ocean currents. Persistent organic pollutants (POPs), including pesticides, industrial compounds and combustion by-products, are transported via air and water currents from regions outside the Arctic and become concentrated in the fatty tissues of animals." The pollutants threaten not only the well being of wildlife but the health of northern residents heavily dependent …


Genetic And Metabolic Screening Of Newborns: Must Health Care Providers Seek Explicit Parental Consent?, Sheila Wildeman, Jocelyn Downie Jan 2001

Genetic And Metabolic Screening Of Newborns: Must Health Care Providers Seek Explicit Parental Consent?, Sheila Wildeman, Jocelyn Downie

Articles, Book Chapters, & Popular Press

In this paper, we provide some background on the history of newborn screening and the legal context within which questions regarding consent must be answered, and then turn to the various arguments that can be made for and against the current approach to parental consent to genetic and metabolic tests administered as part of provincial/territorial newborn screening programs. In the end, we conclude that either practice should be changed to align it with current law such that explicit parental consent is sought for the established tests, or that advocates for maintaining current practices should lobby for legislation permitting newborn screening …


Health Care Ethics Experts In Canadian Courts, Jocelyn Downie Jan 2001

Health Care Ethics Experts In Canadian Courts, Jocelyn Downie

Articles, Book Chapters, & Popular Press

In this paper, I will first describe the traditional approach to the use of experts in Canadian courts. Then I will consider whether, on this approach, health care ethics experts should be permitted to testify in Canadian courts. I will argue that they should be permitted to testify but caution should be exercised by the courts, the parties, and the experts themselves. The objective of the paper is to highlight the strengths and raise some concerns about the weaknesses of a practice that appears to be growing, so that the potential harmful consequences might be anticipated, problems with the practice …