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The Developments of 'Wrongful Birth' and 'Wrongful Life' in the Uk and Australia

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Question 1.

(I) Abstract
‘A healthy child is so lovely a creature that I can well understand the reaction of one who asks: how could its birth possibly give rise to an action for damages? But every baby has a belly to be filled and a body to be clothed. The law relating to damages is concerned with reparation in money terms and this is what is needed for the maintenance of a baby.’
Peter Pain J

(II) Introduction
‘Wrongful Birth’ and ‘Wrongful Life’ are issues caught in a ‘legal quagmire’, as they exist between realms of purist legal principles and heated public policy debate. Much like the social taboos of abortion and euthanasia, at their core, they raise questions as to the value placed on human life. Moreover, this ‘value’ is represented by two sides of the coin in addressing the intangible ‘blessing’ of conception and existence, against the real fiscal burdens involved in adequately raising a child. In recent years several major cases have come before English and Australian courts to address issues in this field; however decisions have been far from unanimous, leaving the law in a state of ambiguity. This paper attempts to provide a line of clarity in respect to the developments of legal principles and public policy on these issues, by closely examining relevant case progression and wider academic debate.

(III) Development of the ‘Birth Torts’
Unfortunately, the labels of ‘Wrongful Birth’ and ‘Wrongful Life’ are contentious even in their very existence; however it is critical to establish that ‘what is ‘wrongful’ is the negligence, not the birth’. Both issues refer to cases of medical negligence and as such it is necessary to debunk the clear legal principles from the fraught moral aspects of this issue. Negligence is a fairly simple equation in purity; requiring firstly an assessment of whether a duty of care is reasonably expected of a person in a

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