Midwifery is a health care profession distinct from nursing. Midwives specialize in providing primary care to women during pregnancy, labour, birth and postpartum in relation to low risk prenatal, intrapartum and postnatal care. They promote the natural birthing process of normal vaginal … [Read more...]
Birth, Families and Employment
When a child comes into a family (through birth or adoption) and where the caregivers are employed (e.g., working for pay), there will need to be some kind of arrangement for leave from the employment in order to care for the child. Most families require that at least some portion of the leave is … [Read more...]
Who is a Parent? Not a Simple Question!
If anything could be said about the law, it is slow to change. Our social structure continues to evolve at a faster pace than the law, which is creating difficulties in society and the courts. We are seeing impacts on individuals and couples who are having children in non-traditional ways as the … [Read more...]
No Right to “Know One’s Past”: The BCCA in Pratten v British Columbia (Attorney General)
In a decision released on November 27, 2012, the British Columbia Court of Appeal (BCCA) in Pratten v British Columbia, 2012 BCCA 480, reversed the British Columbia Supreme Court’s (BCSC) decision that provisions of the provincial Adoption Act are unconstitutional as a result of their failure to … [Read more...]
Legal and Ethical Support for Newborn Safe Havens
In May 2010, Providence Health Care in Vancouver announced the opening of the first newborn safe haven in Canada at St. Paul’s Hospital. Four months later, Providence confirmed a healthy baby was dropped off at the hospital, setting off a further round of national and international media … [Read more...]
