ISBN Lookup

AI Overview

Overview of "Health Law in Australia" by Ben White, Fiona J. McDonald, and Lindy Willmott

First Edition (2010)

  • Publication: The book was first published in December 2010 by Thomson Reuters.
  • Contributors: The book features contributions from esteemed academics and practitioners from various Australian states, including the Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, and Victoria.
  • Structure: The book is divided into five parts:
    • Part One: General introduction to health law and the legal framework of the Australian health system, including medical and health ethics.
    • Part Two: General principles of health law, including consent, medical negligence, confidentiality, and privacy.
    • Part Three: "Beginning of Life," which deals with assisted reproductive technology, abortion, and surrogacy.
    • Part Four: "End of Life," which covers euthanasia and assisted suicide, withdrawing and withholding life-sustaining medical treatment, and the doctrine of double effect.
    • Part Five: "Select Issues in Health Law," which discusses various current and challenging issues such as regulation of health professionals, mental health law, health and medical research, biotechnology, and nanotechnology.

Key Themes

  1. Comprehensive National Approach: The book provides a comprehensive national exploration of health law in Australia, covering all major areas of the field.
  2. Ethico-Legal Issues: It delves into ethico-legal issues, including consent, medical negligence, confidentiality, and privacy.
  3. Emerging Technologies: The book addresses emerging technologies like biotechnology and nanotechnology, as well as their implications in health law.
  4. Regulation of Health Professionals: It discusses the regulation of health professionals, including recent nationalization efforts.
  5. Mental Health Law: The book covers mental health law and its complexities.
  6. Health Research Issues: It examines issues related to health research, including ethics and legal aspects.

Critical Reception

  • Academic Praise: The book has been praised for its comprehensive coverage of health law in Australia. It is considered a leading text in the field, providing a structured approach to explaining the breadth of health law across all Australian jurisdictions.
  • Review by Matthew Hickey: In a review by Matthew Hickey, the book is commended for its considered analysis of developing and rapidly changing areas of the law and practice, both legal and medical. The quality of the chapter authors is highlighted as evidence of the editors’ commitment to gathering a broad range of expertise.

Editions and Updates

  • Fourth Edition: The book has been updated to a fourth edition, which includes contributions from 28 health law experts from 13 universities. This edition continues to be Australia's leading text in health law, providing a comprehensive national basis for understanding the discipline.

In summary, "Health Law in Australia" by Ben White, Fiona J. McDonald, and Lindy Willmott is a seminal work that provides a structured and comprehensive overview of health law in Australia. It covers a wide range of themes, from ethico-legal issues to emerging technologies, and has received positive reviews for its academic rigor and practical insights.