Treść książki
Przejdź do opcji czytnikaPrzejdź do nawigacjiPrzejdź do informacjiPrzejdź do stopki
28
Chapter1.melegalstatusofhumanlife…
thefirsttimeever,suchaconcernwasvoicedregardingtheW.P
.v.the
UnitedKingdom17case,inwhichacitizenoftheUnitedKingdom
claimedthattheBritishAbortionActof1976violatedrightsasguar-
anteedinArts.2,5,6,8and9oftheECHR.mefactspresentedare
asfollows:on10thOctober,1974,acertainWilliamPaton(30years
old)marriedacertainJoan,orJ.M.P
.(theinitialsalone),asthemar-
riagecertificatetestifies.Slightlylessthanfouryearslateronintime,
on12thMay,1978,Joaninformedherhusbandthatshewasalreadyin
hereighthweekofpregnancy,whichsheintendedtohaveinterrupted.
mehusband,Mr.Paton,inevidentdisagreementwithhiswife,on
the17thMay,1978,appearedattheHighCourtofJusticewithare-
questforaninjunction,therebypreventingJoanfromgoingthrough
withtheabortion.meAdjudicatingJudgeinthecasewasSirGeorge
Baker,alsothePresidentoftheFamilyDivisionoftheHighCourtof
Justice,whodeclared,amongstothers,that:KresearchshowthatinRo-
manlaw,centuriesago,thefather’sconsentwasrequiredorotherwise
abortionwasacrime,buttodaytheonlywayhecanputthecaseis
thatthehusbandhasarighttohaveasayinthedestinyofthechildhe
hasconceived.melawofEnglandgiveshimnosuchright;the1967
Actcontainsnosuchprovision.Itfollows,therefore,thatinmyopin-
ionthisclaimforaninjunctioniscompletelymisconceivedandmust
bedismissed”18.So,resultingfromthistotalrebuttalontheCourt’s
parttoissueMr.Patonwithnothingmorethananoutrightrefusal,
thelatterlodgedacomplaintwiththeECHR.Inthisparticularcase,
meCommissionconsideredthatPatonhimselfcouldactuallyhave
beenregardedasbeingtheKvictim”,withinthemeaningofArt.25of
meConvention,duetohiswife’sunilateraldecisiontohavethepreg-
nancycutshort,andthentheensuingabortion,botheventsobviously
bringingwiththemimportantissueswhoserepercussionscouldnot
failtoimpactuponPaton’sroleinallofthis:theroleofthepotential
17
Commission’sdecisionof13thMay1980,Applicationno.8416/79.
18
Patonv.TrusteesofBritishPregnancyAdvisoryService,[1979]QB276,[1978]
3WLR687,[1978]2AllER987,(1978)122SJ744QBD.
