Abstract
The law is a system of social control. Even more than most branches of the law, the law of torts is an obvious ‘battleground’ for social theories. The broad question which I shall pose is to what extent and how the legal system should regulate the relationship between health care providers and consumers. The question that Professor Holder addressed was significantly narrower: Is existence ever an injury? She began by ‘translating’ that question into an even more practical and focused one, namely, whether or not being alive is ever, in law, something for which one should receive monetary compensation from another. Before addressing directly Professor Holder’s inquiry, I would like to consider the kind of question she has posed.
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Bibliography
Bibliography
Dworkin, R.: 1977, Taking Rights Seriously, Harvard University Press, Cambridge, Mass.
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Cases
Ball v. Mudge, 64 Wash. 2d 247, 391 P. 2d 201 (1964).
Christensen v. Thornby, 255 N.W. 620 (Minn., 1934).
Gleitman v. Cosgrove, 227 A. 2d 689 (N. J., 1967).
Howard v. Lecher, 42 N.Y. 2d 109, 397 N.Y.S. 2d 363 (1977).
Park v. Chessin, 400 N.Y.S. 2d 110 (Sup. Ct., App. Div., 1977).
Rieck v. Medical Protection Co., 219 N.W. 2d 242 (1974).
Shaheen v. Knight, 6 Lyc. 19,11 Pa. D. & C. 2d 41 (1957).
Sherlook v. Stillwater Clinic, 260 N.W. 2d 169 (Minn. Sup. Ct., 1977).
Terrell v. Garcia, 496 S.W. 2d 124 (Tex. Civ. App., 1973).
Troppi v. Scarf, 187 N.W. 2d 511 (Mich. Ct. App., 1971).
Zepeda v. Zepeda, 411 111. App. 2d 240,190 N.E. 2d 849 (1963).
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© 1981 D. Reidel Publishing Company
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Williams, P.C. (1981). Wrongful Life: A Reply to Angela Holder. In: Spicker, S.F., Healey, J.M., Engelhardt, H.T. (eds) The Law-Medicine Relation: A Philosophical Exploration. Philosophy and Medicine, vol 9. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-8407-3_15
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