Citation

Lee J. J. Law Med. 2021; 28(4): 1066-1081.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2021, Thompson - LBC Information Services)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

34907686

Abstract

The law shapes the disposition and actions of persons, and what is acceptable and ethical in a community. However, laws in society can potentially be co-opted to influence medical and legal thought in other areas, using an "off-label" conceptual interpretation. For example, medical authorities have recognised the dangers of blows to the head in boxing, with some being fatal. Elsewhere, recent criminal law target assaults causing death by one punch. These laws, alongside coronial inquests, can be helpful in shifting the outlook on boxing, its risks, and fatalities. The cause of both forms of deaths usually involves traumatic brain injuries. This article analyses the contexts surrounding one-punch laws, and some legal proceedings and coroners' inquests, to seek alternative perspectives and the medical and ethical implications of such laws. The discussions also refer to legislation, and socio-legal and medical ethics debates in the United Kingdom, Europe, and the United States.

Language: en

Keywords

traumatic brain injury; boxing; “one punch can kill”; coronial inquest; criminal law; medical ethics