The Perruche judgment and the "right not to be born".

Journal article

The French government has given in to public pressure and overturned a controversial legal ruling which recognised the right of a disabled child to seek damages. Most notably, the ruling, widely described as establishing a child's right "not to be born", had provoked "outrage" amongst groups defending the rights of the disabled and led to a ban on prenatal scans by French gynaecologists. Once again, only parents will be able to seek damages but some people think the ruling has been misinterpreted.

Authors: Spriggs, M; Savulescu, J

• Publication status: Published
• Journal: Journal of medical ethics
• Volume: 28
• Issue: 2
• Pages: 63-64
• Publication date: 2002-04-01
• DOI: 10.1136/jme.28.2.63
• EISSN: 1473-4257
• ISSN: 0306-6800
• Language: English
• Keywords: Decision Making; Infant, Newborn; Ethics, Medical; Judgment; Parents; France; Ethics, Clinical; Child; Human Rights; Pregnancy; Fetal Diseases; Physician's Practice Patterns; Prenatal Diagnosis; Female; Humans; Disabled Children