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Medical Treatment: Decisions and the Law Podcast

This podcast complements the textbook, Medical Treatment: Decisions and the Law, which is edited by Christopher Johnston QC and Sophia Roper QC, with chapters authored by a team of 27 barristers at Serjeants' Inn Chambers and published by Bloomsbury Professional in 2022. It places medical decision-making in its legal context and provides practical guidance on the most ethically challenging cases that face the courts. It explains how the Mental Capacity Act works in practice and how the courts and lawyers wrestle with and resolve problems relating to the very essence of life: what is life? what is an acceptable quality of life? what treatment is so burdensome that it should not be attempted? These questions are posed, not in the abstract but, in real – often desperate, often urgent – situations. This series, hosted by Christopher and Sophia, will feature different authors in each episode, looking further and discussing the various topics covered by the book. To find out more about their practices, please see our website here: https://bit.ly/3ITGwrO To find out more about the book, please click here: https://bit.ly/3bI2DoJ

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Medical Treatment: Decisions and the Law Podcast

S1E1 - Deciding for Others – Children

August 10, 2022 • Serjeants' Inn Chambers • Season 1 • Episode 1

In this episode Christopher Johnston QC is joined by co-editor, Sophia Roper QC, to discuss medical treatment decisions for minors, as discussed in chapter 4 of the new fourth edition of Medical Treatment: Decisions and the Law.

Chris and Sophia consider the process by which the courts, including the appellate courts, reach decisions in a wide range of difficult cases including that of Tafida Raqeeb, where the parental views prevailed over those of the hospital Trust.

Read more about Sophia's practice here: https://bit.ly/3o60m9D

Read more about Chris's practice here: https://bit.ly/3ANjO2P

Members of Serjeants' Inn Chambers have represented parties in recent cases concerning the withdrawal of life-sustaining treatment from children, including the proceedings relating to Tafida Raqeeb, Charlie Gard, Alfie Evans, and Archie Battersbee.

While every care has been taken to ensure the accuracy of these podcasts, no responsibility for loss or damage occasioned to any person acting or refraining from action as a result of any statement in it can be accepted by those speaking or Chambers.