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'Border Country': health law in a devolved UK.

John HarringtonAbbie-Rose Hampton
Published in: Medical law review (2024)
How are we to understand and research health law under devolution in the UK? Building on work in law and geography, we argue that the figure of the border is key to the production and implementation of devolved health law and the variety of forms that this takes. The utility of border thinking in this context is shown through a review of thematic areas, including infectious disease control, access to health care, and abortion, each instantiating a distinct bordering process. In each, we consider recent developments in policy and legislation, framed with reference to constitutional change, and the politics of devolution in the UK. Taking Wales as an exemplary site, we argue that health law produces borders in traditional and non-traditional places. It creates and blurs territories. It is equally constituted by pluralistic bordering practices. On the basis of this theoretically informed review, we conclude by proposing a cross-disciplinary legal, ethical, and socio-legal research agenda for future research.
Keyphrases
  • healthcare
  • public health
  • mental health
  • health information
  • primary care
  • health promotion
  • infectious diseases
  • decision making
  • social media
  • current status