CFP-Foetal alcohol syndrome case dismissed

Foetal alcohol syndrome case dismissed by Court of Appeal
BBC News, 4 December 2014
1) A child born with foetal alcohol syndrome is not legally entitled to compensation after her
mother drank excessively while pregnant, the Court of Appeal has ruled. The seven-year-old
girl was born with severe brain damage and is now in care. Lawyers argued her mother had
poisoned her foetus but appeal judges ruled she had not committed a criminal offence.
2) The case was brought by a council in the North West of England, which cannot be named
for legal reasons. It had been argued the woman ignored warnings and drank a "grossly
excessive" amount of alcohol while pregnant.
3) She consumed eight cans of strong lager and half a bottle of vodka a day, the court heard.
Three appeal judges at the Court of Appeal had to rule on whether or not the girl was entitled
to a payout from the government-funded Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme as a victim
of crime. But Lord Justice Treacy said an "essential ingredient" for a crime to be committed
"is the infliction of grievous bodily harm on a person - grievous bodily harm on a foetus will
not suffice".
4) The girl, who cannot be named and was referred to in court as CP, suffers with learning,
development, memory and behavioural problems. BBC News legal correspondent Clive
Coleman said the case was significant because it centred on whether or not a foetus was
considered a person, independent of its mother.
5) He said: "This case was hugely important, because campaigners argued that if the Court of
Appeal had said it was possible for a mother to commit a crime by poisoning her foetus with
excessive alcohol, it would have had the effect of criminalising pregnant women who drank
excessively, knowing the dangers of alcohol to their foetus."
6) Heavy drinking during pregnancy can lead to foetal alcohol syndrome (FAS). Alcohol
passes across the placenta from the mother to the developing foetus. But the foetus cannot
process alcohol effectively until the liver is fully developed and the high levels of alcohol can
affect the development of organs and the brain. Children with FAS are born with a range of
disabilities, are often shorter than average and some have learning and behavioural
difficulties. People with the syndrome can have differences in their facial features such as a
flat nose bridge, a small head and a thin upper lip.
7) It is thought that foetuses are most at risk during the first three months of pregnancy when
organs are forming - but damage can occur at any time. John Foy QC, representing the
council that has responsibility for CP, told the court her mother drank the equivalent of 40-57
units of alcohol a day. National Institute for Health and Care (Nice) guidelines suggest 7.5
units daily might damage a foetus. Mr Foy said the young mother, for whom it was a second
pregnancy, was aware of the dangers, adding: "She was reckless as to whether there would be
harm to the foetus.
8) "She foresaw that harm might be caused but went on to take the risk."
Foetal alcohol syndrome case dismissed by Court of Appeal
VOCABULARY
Title foetal alcohol syndrome: syndrome de l'alcoolisme fœtal
to dismiss: rejeter
§1
to be entitled to: avoir droit à
to be pregnant: être enceinte
to rule: statuer
brain damage: lésions cérébrales
to be in care: avoir été placé, faire l'objet de mesures de protection (enfant)
to argue: soutenir
criminal offence: infraction pénale
§2
to bring a case: porter une affaire devant les tribunaux
council: conseil municipal
to ignore: ne pas tenir compte de
warning: avertissement
grossly: gravement, nettement
§3
to consume: consommer
can: canette
lager: bière blonde
payout: dédommagement
to fund: financer
scheme: plan
Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme: régimes d'indemnisation des victimes d'actes
criminels
grievous bodily harm: coups et blessures
to suffice: suffire
§4
to refer to: faire référence à
behavioural problems: troubles du comportement
significant: important, lourd de sens
§5
hugely: extrêmement, énormément
campaigner: militant
§6
to lead to: mener à, entraîner
to process: traiter, transformer
liver: foie
to affect: avoir un impact sur
brain: cerveau
range: gamme, variété
disability: handicap
average: moyenne
PTO
facial features: traits du visage
flat nose bridge ≈ nez plat
thin upper lip: lèvre supérieure mince
§7
to be at risk: être en danger
damage: dégâts, dommages
to occur: survenir
QC (Queen's Counsel): avocat de la couronne (qui peut néanmoins plaider pour des
particuliers)
National Institute for Health and Care (Nice): an executive non-departmental public body of
the Department of Health in the United Kingdom. It serves both the English NHS and the
Welsh NHS. It was set up as the National Institute for Clinical Excellence in 1999, and on 1
April 2005 joined with the Health Development Agency to become the new National Institute
for Health and Clinical Excellence (still abbreviated as NICE). NICE has acquired a high
reputation internationally as a role model for the development of clinical guidelines.
to damage: endommager, porter atteinte à
pregnancy: grossesse
to be aware of: être conscient de
to add: ajouter
reckless: imprident, irresponsable
to harm: nuire à
§8
to foresee: prévoir
to go on to: poursuivre, persister
THE PERRUCHE CASE (2001)
In 1982, Mr. Perruche's mother, Josette, then just one month pregnant, found her 4-year-old
daughter covered with red spots. The child was diagnosed with German measles, and Mrs.
Perruche told her doctor that if she had been infected she wanted an abortion rather than risk
giving birth to a severely handicapped child. Mrs. Perruche then underwent two blood tests,
two weeks apart.
According to court documents, the test results were contradictory, but instead of pursuing the
question, the doctor assured Mrs. Perruche that it would be safe to go on with the pregnancy.
Later, a retest would show the lab had made a mistake with the blood tests. Within two years,
Mrs. Perruche had suffered a mental breakdown, requiring psychiatric care.
In July 2001, after 13 years of litigation, a court ruled that Nicolas's parents were entitled to
about $68,000 with a further $250,000 to go for the cost of care. After a series of appeals,
France's equivalent to the Supreme Court apparently awarded a much higher undisclosed sum
of damages to both the boy and his family.
N. Perruche was cared for by a government institution. He has had little contact with the
world around him.
Although lawyers familiar with the decision said the court never used the words "wrongful
birth," the ruling was widely interpreted to have established the concept.
Article 1 of the Khouchner law of 4 March 2002 effectively struck the possibility for a
court to order financial compensation for a severely disabled boy because medical errors had
allowed him to be born.
In 2006, the ECHR ruled against France for retrospectively applying the new law.
In December 2011, the Cour de cassation held that cases involving children born before 7
March 2002 but whose case was brought after this date are not subject to Article 1 of the
Khouchner law. Children born before 7 march 2002 may thus seek damages for wrongful
birth.
Mort d'un foetus: un automobiliste condamné
Le Figaro, 6-02-2014
1) Le tribunal correctionnel de Tarbes vient de se démarquer d'une certaine jurisprudence en
condamnant un automobiliste pour homicide involontaire sur un foetus dont il avait renversé
la mère enceinte.
2) L'automobiliste a été condamné mardi à trois ans de prison avec sursis, une décision
conforme aux réquisitions du parquet, a déclaré aujourd'hui le procureur de Tarbes Chantal
Firmigier-Michel, confirmant des informations de la Dépêche du Midi.
3) En janvier 2012, l'automobiliste avait perdu le contrôle de sa voiture et avait fauché la
jeune femme, enceinte de six mois et demi, alors qu'elle se trouvait sur le trottoir. Elle avait
subi de nombreuses blessures et avait perdu son foetus. L'automobiliste, qui était sous
traitement médicamenteux pour soigner une dépression et avait bu deux verres de vin, a aussi
été condamné à trois ans d'annulation de son permis de conduire, ainsi qu'à 300 euros
d'amende pour vitesse excessive.
4) S'appuyant sur les expertises médicales, le ministère public a considéré que le foetus était
"viable" et qu'il n'était "mort que du fait de l'accident", à cause "du choc du foetus contre la
paroi utérine", a ajouté la magistrate. La Cour de cassation a pourtant estimé dans plusieurs
arrêts que l'incrimination d'homicide involontaire d'autrui ne pouvait être étendue à l'enfant à
naître. Un arrêt du 25 juin 2002 établissait que "le principe de la légalité des délits et des
peines, qui impose une interprétation stricte de la loi pénale, s'oppose à ce que l'incrimination
d'homicide involontaire s'applique au cas de l'enfant qui n'est pas né vivant".
5) Le parquet ne fera pas appel de la décision du tribunal, pas plus que la défense de
l'automobiliste. Celle-ci refuse délibérément d'invoquer la jurisprudence de la Cour de
cassation dans un souci d'apaisement et d'humanité vis-à-vis de la mère et de son client. "Le
droit, c'est aussi traiter les humains, ce n'est pas que l'application des textes", a déclaré sa
défense, expliquant avoir fait un "choix philosophique", afin que l'automobiliste qui éprouve
depuis un fort sentiment de culpabilité puisse tourner la page et que la victime puisse "faire
son deuil". La mère a donné un nom à son enfant et l'a enterré, a souligné cette avocate qui se
dit "féministe" et qui n'a pas souhaité que son nom soit publié.