#UNELaw’s Aileen Kennedy is well know as being an interesting, entertaining and highly engaging lecturer. Aileen’s knowledge of several areas of law is immense, but her main teaching and research focus relates to medical law. This expertise will be on full display in the Contemporary Issues in Health Law unit.

This year Aileen has decided to complete a deep dive into the following topics- pandemics and the law; euthanasia; and surrogacy law.

The ‘pandemics and the law’ unit is a response to how our legal and policy institutions have worked to prevent the spread of Covid19. The focus is on the Australian response to the pandemic. What laws support government action, from isolation orders to tracking and tracing technology? What are the laws and issues relating to the vaccine?

Euthanasia law is never far from the news. New legislation to permit voluntary dying has been passed in Victoria and Western Australia. Some of the questions which are asked are- who objects to legalising voluntary euthanasia, and why? Is it just religious zealots, or are other communities expressing opposition? How can we ensure that legislation will protect the vulnerable?

Many people reflexively oppose commercial surrogacy, and barely tolerate altruistic surrogacy because of concerns about exploitation, child protection, and the commodification of human life. The laws of surrogacy in Australia are in disarray and arguably fail to promote any of their stated aims. The unit will question- why is the law failing to respond to real lives and real problems?

Instead of spending a week scratching the surface of these topics, students will spend four weeks delving into the details and considering different ideas and perspectives on each one.

If you are interested in this and/or other #UNELaw units, check out our UNE Law Units page.