Patient Autonomy, Freedom of Religion and Free Movement of Patients: Tafida Raqeeb and A

In the case of Tafida Raqeeb, the parents of a young child in a minimally conscious state wanted to take her to Italy, where the doctors were willing to continue her medical treatment. In the recent CJEU case of A (C-243/19), a Latvian father took his son to Poland for open-heart surgery. In Poland, the operation could take place without a blood transfusion, which was consistent with the father’s faith as a Jehovah’s Witness.  

In both cases, patients relied on EU free movement law to make their own decisions about the appropriate medical treatment – decisions with which the treating doctors in their home country disagreed. In this seminar, we will explore the interaction between patient autonomy and free movement law in situations with a strong ethical or religious dimension. We will also analyse the implications of these cases for doctors and patients in the UK after Brexit. 

Please register for this event by filling out this form: MLE DG Microsoft Form