Intended for healthcare professionals

News

Hysterectomy can be performed on woman with schizophrenia against her will, judge rules

BMJ 2012; 345 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.e7006 (Published 16 October 2012) Cite this as: BMJ 2012;345:e7006
  1. Clare Dyer
  1. 1BMJ

A High Court judge in London has given doctors the go ahead to perform a risky but potentially lifesaving hysterectomy on a woman with cancer of the uterus who denied that she had the disease.

Mr Justice Holman ruled that it would be lawful for an unnamed NHS trust in the south of England to carry out the operation on the 61 year old woman with schizophrenia, who lacked the mental capacity to make an informed decision for herself.

The judge, sitting in the Court of Protection in …

View Full Text

Log in

Log in through your institution

Subscribe

* For online subscription