More than 100,000 individuals are on the waiting list to receive a lifesaving transplant, but many of them will not receive the organ they need. Legislation has been passed to support organ donation--the current organ procurement system in the United States is governed by the Uniform Anatomical Gift Act of 1968 and the National Organ Transplant Act of 1984--but a shortage of donated organs rema...

This paper briefly examines the concept and rationale of Copyright at the time of its inception and considers whether current legislation and, more distinctly, the administration of some of the rights specified by Copyright legislation has created a situation whereby authors of works in the music industry are being adversely affected and even exploited by such schemes thereby completing the cir...

This article explores how private organizations influence the content and meaning of consumer protection legislation. I examine why California forced consumers to use a private dispute resolution system that affords consumers fewer rights, while Vermont adopted a state-run disputing structure that affords consumers greater rights. Drawing from historical and new institutional theories, I analyz...

It is usually suggested that the three great sources of our law are case law (in the sense of the " common " law), equity, and legislation, and that, historically, this is the order of their coming; first the common law, then equity, then parliamentary legislation. But, though it contains truth, such a view is too simple. It is too commonly imagined that the common law relates to something in t...

Despite criticism that health reform legislation will result in cuts to Medicare, the bills passed by the House of Representatives and the Senate, as well as President Obama's proposal, contain provisions that would strengthen the program by reducing costs for prescription drugs, expanding coverage for preventive care, providing more help for low-income beneficiaries, and supporting accessible,...

State legislatures often rely on existing text when drafting new bills. Resource and expertise constraints, which often drive this copying behavior, can be taken advantage of by lobbyists and special interest groups. These groups provide model bills, which encode policy agendas, with the intent that the models become actual law. Unfortunately, model legislation is often opaque to the public–bot...

OBJECTIVE To conduct a situation analysis of the status of mental health care in Ghana and to propose options for scaling up the provision of mental health care. METHOD A survey of the existing mental health system in Ghana was conducted using the WHO Assessment Instrument for Mental Health Systems. Documentary analysis was undertaken of mental health legislation, utilizing the WHO Legislatio...

OBJECTIVE Fortification of food-grade (edible) salt with iodine is recommended as a safe, cost-effective and sustainable strategy for the prevention of iodine-deficiency disorders. The present paper examines the legislative framework for salt iodization in Asian countries. DESIGN We reviewed salt iodization legislation in thirty-six countries in Asia and the Pacific. We obtained copies of exi...

Should criminal law principles be applied to life insurance claims made by the beneficiaries of an insured person who commits suicide? Any discussion of the criminal law and the M'Naghten test of criminal responsibility, as sometimes used by the courts and recommended by the authors, obfuscates the resolution of contemporary issues.