ABSTRACT
The International Criminal Court has recently opened an investigation into the international crimes committed on Ukrainian territory. The ongoing Russian-Ukrainian war is a tragic opportunity for a necessary critical and scientific reading of the Rome Statute. In our work, we aim to critically analyse the contents of the International Criminal Court's Rome Statute, with particular attention to the definition and listing of war crimes. Our objective is to assess whether the content of the Rome Statute and the Geneva Convention is useful to provide a correct and complete orientation of the medico-legal work in the context of war. We believe, in fact, that the forensic pathologists, and forensic experts in general, are the only professional figures specialised in providing scientific evidence of crimes compatible with war crimes. Their timely intervention and the standardisation of their work - in association with a review of the deficient content found in the Rome Statute - is essential in order to allow the prosecution of international crimes, already potentially undermined by the slowdowns associated with the COVID-19 pandemic that is the backdrop to the current conflict.
ABSTRACT
Vaccine hesitancy and anti-vax movements are increasing globally. Covid-19 pandemic has caused and causes emergency situations where available resources do not always meet the need for community care.In this article, the authors analyse the bioethical and medico-legal implications of the possibility - in conditions of scarcity of resources - of selecting patients who must have access to medical care based on vaccination against Sars-CoV-2.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: According to the World Health Organization (WHO), any woman in childbearing age who have decided not to take permanently an oral contraceptive but who are sexually active has the right to access emergency contraception (EC). Despite this, in many European countries there are no specific laws governing the criteria for access to emergency oral contraceptives (EOCs) for girls under 18, especially about the need for third party consent. This normative vacuum is dangerous as it risks creating confusion and entrusting the management of the fundamental right of self-determination to the discretion of others. Moreover, in European Union (EU) countries, there is an inequality in terms of access to contraceptive supplies, reimbursement criteria and the availability of information online. OBJECTIVE: Our article compares the criteria for access to EOCs (Ulipristal Acetate-UPA and Levonorgestrel-LNG) in the various EU countries to highlight possible disparities and consequent inequalities. METHODS: Government and ministerial websites, European agencies websites, and Contraceptive Use by Method 2019 (WHO) have been consulted. RESULTS: There are some differences between the various European countries that could configure inequality in EU countries. CONCLUSIONS: It would be appropriate a definitive levelling of the legislation of the European Union on emergency contraception associated with massive information and awareness campaigns.
ABSTRACT
On 17 March 2022, the Italian Council of Ministers, by means of Press Release No. 67, sanctioned the extension of the vaccine obligation against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) for health workers until 31 December 2022. Healthcare workers who do not demonstrate that they have adequate vaccination coverage will be suspended from work and will not be paid. Recently, the Council of Administrative Justice of Sicily has identified possible contrasts between the vaccine obligation of health professionals and numerous constitutional principles, paving the way for an interesting bioethical-legal debate on the subject. The aim of this article is to examine the possible profiles of unconstitutionality of the measure of the Italian Government and to identify medico-legal and bioethical issues potentially related to the vaccine obligation for health professionals in a context of resolution of the emergency phase related to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.