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Following the Law or Using the Law? Decision-Making in Medical Manslaughter

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Exploring the ‘Legal’ in Socio-Legal Studies

Part of the book series: Palgrave Macmillan Socio-Legal Studies ((PSLS))

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Abstract

Over the course of a lifetime most of us will put our lives in the hands of one or more healthcare professionals. Many of us will do this several times, sometimes knowingly and sometimes not. Much medical and surgical treatment is intrinsically dangerous, but so would be the failure to treat many people who are ill or injured. And so, inevitably, many people die in the course of medical and surgical treatment. Sometimes this is simply because some people cannot be saved, and much treatment is inherently risky. But sometimes it is because of negligence. Many people also suffer hugely without dying and are left permanently damaged or traumatized by the experience, but what should be done in these cases is not for this chapter but a different one (Griffiths and Sanders, 2013).

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© 2016 Andrew Sanders and Danielle Griffiths

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Sanders, A., Griffiths, D. (2016). Following the Law or Using the Law? Decision-Making in Medical Manslaughter. In: Cowan, D., Wincott, D. (eds) Exploring the ‘Legal’ in Socio-Legal Studies. Palgrave Macmillan Socio-Legal Studies. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-137-34437-3_11

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-137-34437-3_11

  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, London

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-349-56054-7

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-137-34437-3

  • eBook Packages: Social SciencesSocial Sciences (R0)

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