Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Human Dignity in Great Britain and Northern Ireland

  • Living reference work entry
  • First Online:
Handbook of Human Dignity in Europe

Abstract

This chapter challenges the conventional narrative that dignity is not an important or pervasive feature of the law of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. It begins by locating human dignity in the case law on Article 3 and Article 8 of the Human Rights Act 1998 in order to explore the meaning that human dignity has been given by judges. Whilst accepting that no singular definition has been constructed around a theoretical premise, this chapter argues that dignity is related to the idea of the equal worth of each human being who is due respect as an integrated, multidimensional whole. It then proceeds to map the uses of human dignity in the law of Great Britain and Northern Ireland across a wide range of legal fields and in relation to adjudication, legislation, and regulation. In doing so, this chapter provides the most detailed and systematic account of the uses of human dignity in the law of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. It argues that both the wide reach of dignity and the key role it plays in many hard cases make it a core value of the law of the United Kingdom.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Allan T (2001) Constitutional justice: a liberal theory of the rule of law. Oxford University Press, Oxford

    Google Scholar 

  • Baker D (2016) The right not to be criminalized: demarcating criminal law’s authority. Routledge, Oxford

    Google Scholar 

  • Bates J (2005) Human dignity – an empty phrase in search of meaning? JR 2:165

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Beyleveld D, Brownsword R (2001) Human dignity in bioethics and biolaw. Oxford University Press, Oxford

    Google Scholar 

  • Biggs H (2007) “Taking account of the views of the patient”, but only if the clinician (and the court) agrees! Child Fam Law Q 19(2):225

    Google Scholar 

  • Carr H (2012) Rational men and difficult women – R (on the application of McDonald) v. Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea [2011] UKSC 33. J Soc Welf Fam Law 34(4):219

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Clements L (2011) Disability, dignity and the Cri de Coeur. EHRLR 6(6):675

    Google Scholar 

  • Cohn M, Grimm D (2013) Human dignity as a constitutional doctrine. In: Tushnet M (ed) Routledge handbook of constitutional law. Routledge, Abingdon

    Google Scholar 

  • Department for Education (2015) Children act 1989 guidance & regulation: volume 2: care placement, planning & case review. DCSF, London

    Google Scholar 

  • Douglas B (2015) Undignified rights: the importance of a basis in dignity for the possession of human rights in the United Kingdom. Public Law 2:241–257

    Google Scholar 

  • Duff RA (2001) Harms and wrongs. Buffalo Crim Law Rev 5:13

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dupré C (2006) Human dignity and the withdrawal of medical treatment: missed opportunity? EHRLR 6:678

    Google Scholar 

  • Dupré C (2012) Dignity, democracy and civilisation. Liverpool Law Rev 33:263

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dupré (2016) The Age of dignity: human rights and constitutionalism in Europe. Hart, Oxford

    Google Scholar 

  • Edwards R, Billings P (2006) R. (Adam, Limbuela and Tesema) v Secretary of State for the Home Department – a case of “mountainish inhumanity”? J Soc Secur Law 3:169

    Google Scholar 

  • Elliston S (2007) The best interests of the child in healthcare. Routledge, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Feldman D (1997) The developing scope of article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights. EHRLR 3(3):265

    Google Scholar 

  • Feldman D (2000) Human dignity as a legal value: part 2. PL 61

    Google Scholar 

  • Feldman D (2002) Civil liberties and human rights in England and Wales. OUP, Oxford

    Google Scholar 

  • Foster C (2011) Human dignity in bioethics and law. Hart, Oxford

    Google Scholar 

  • Gearty C (2004) Principles of human rights adjudication. OUP, Oxford

    Google Scholar 

  • Gillon R (2004) Why the GMC is right to appeal over life prolonging treatment British Medical Journal 329:810

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hale B (2009) Dignity. J Soc Welf Fam Law 31:101

    Google Scholar 

  • Hale B (2010) Dignity (Ethel Benjamin Commemorative Address, New Zealand)

    Google Scholar 

  • Herring J (2014) Best interests and dementia. In: Foster C et al (ed) The law and ethics of dementia. Bloomsbury, Oxford

    Google Scholar 

  • Lunney M (2004) A right old mess: Rees v Darlington health authority [2003] 3 WLR 1091 UNELawJ 6

    Google Scholar 

  • Mason JK, Laurie GT (2005) Personal autonomy and the right to treatment: a note on R (on the application of Burke) v Gen Med. Edinb Law Rev 9(1):123

    Google Scholar 

  • Moon G, Allen R (2006) Dignity discourse in discrimination law: a better route to equality? EHRLR 6:610

    Google Scholar 

  • Murphy J (2010) The nature and domain of aggravated damages. Camb Law J 69:353

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • National Council for Independent Monitoring Boards (2010) ‘Slopping out?’ A report on the lack of in-cell sanitation in Her Majesty’s prisons in England and Wales

    Google Scholar 

  • Pattinson S (2015) R (on the Application of Burke) v General Medical Council [2004]; Burke v United Kingdom [2006]: contemporaneous and advance requests: The fight for rights at the end of life. In: Herring J, Wall J (eds) Landmark cases in medical law. Hart, Oxford

    Google Scholar 

  • Priaulx N (2007) The harm paradox: tort law and the unwanted child in an era of choice. Routledge Publishing, Abingdon

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Portsmouth, Portsmouth, UK

    Daniel Bedford

Authors
  1. Daniel Bedford
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Daniel Bedford .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Law, University of Lucerne, Lucerne, Switzerland

    Paolo Becchi

  2. Faculty of Law, University of Lucerne, Lucerne, Switzerland

    Klaus Mathis

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2018 Springer International Publishing AG

About this entry

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this entry

Bedford, D. (2018). Human Dignity in Great Britain and Northern Ireland. In: Becchi, P., Mathis, K. (eds) Handbook of Human Dignity in Europe. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-27830-8_15-1

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-27830-8_15-1

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-27830-8

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-27830-8

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference Law and CriminologyReference Module Humanities and Social SciencesReference Module Business, Economics and Social Sciences

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation