(Mar. 12, 2020) On February 24, 2020, the New Zealand government introduced the Smokefree Environments and Regulated Products (Vaping) Amendment Bill into the Parliament. The government minister responsible for the Bill, Associate Minister of Health Jenny Salesa, stated that it “aims to strike the right balance between making sure vaping is available for smokers who want […]
Topic: Child health, Consumer protection, Health, Marketing and advertising, Tobacco and smoking
(Sept. 19, 2018) On August 31, 2018, two Chinese central government regulators, the State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) and the State Tobacco Monopoly Administration (STMA, also known as China Tobacco), jointly issued a circular to ban the sale of electronic cigarettes to minors. (Guojia Shichang Jiandu Guanli Zongju, Guojia Yancao Zhuanmai Ju Guanyu Jinzhi […]
Topic: Child health, Executive agencies, Tobacco and smoking
(May 31, 2018) On May 9, 2018, the president of Portugal, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, vetoed a decree that had been approved by the Portuguese Parliament allowing a change of gender to be entered in the civil register for minors aged 16 to 18. (Decreto No. 203/XIII; Marieta Cazarré, Portugal Veta Mudança de Gênero no […]
Topic: Child health, Child welfare, Children, Children's rights, Discrimination, Families, Human rights and civil liberties, Identification, LGBT rights
(Dec. 5, 2017) On November 30, 2017, the New Zealand Parliament voted to pass legislation that will see the current paid parental leave entitlement of 18 weeks extended in two stages: to 22 weeks from July 1, 2018, and then to 26 weeks from July 1, 2020. (Parental Leave and Employment Protection Amendment Bill, PARLIAMENT […]
Topic: Child health, Children, Families, Worker safety and health
(June 13, 2017) On May 19, 2017, the Italian Parliament approved the Decree-Law Containing Urgent Measures on the Compulsory Vaccination of Children, which makes vaccinations mandatory for children as a condition of school registration. (Italy Makes Childhood Vaccinations Compulsory, FRANCE24 (May 19, 2007); Decree-Law No. 73 of June 7, 2017, Urgent Provisions on Vaccine Prevention, GAZZETTA UFFICIALE (June 7, 2017), […]
Topic: Child health, Children's rights, Health, Health care funding, Health promotion and preventive care, Infectious and parasitic diseases
(Apr. 24, 2017) On April 12, 2017, three laws related to the treatment of women during childbirth and its aftermath were adopted in Brazil. Law No. 13.434 amends article 292 of the Code of Criminal Procedure to prohibit the use of handcuffs on pregnant women inmates during medical and hospital preparatory procedures for delivery and […]
Topic: Child health, Prisoners' rights, Women's rights
(Dec. 9, 2015) On December 4, 2015, the German Bundestag (parliament) debated a draft act that would prohibit the sale to and consumption of electronic cigarettes and electronic shishas by children and adolescents under 18 years of age. (Entwurf eines Gesetzes zum Schutz von Kindern und Jugendlichen vor den Gefahren des Konsums von elektronischen Zigaretten […]
(Nov. 24, 2015) On November 23, 2015, the Australian federal Parliament passed the Social Services Legislation Amendment (No Jab, No Pay) Bill 2015. (Parliament of Australia website (last visited Nov. 23, 2015).) The effect of the bill is that, from January 1, 2016, parents will no longer be able to claim a conscientious objection in […]
Topic: Child health, Child welfare, Children, Families, Health, Public health, Right to refuse medical treatment, Social welfare
(June 23, 2015) On March 20, 2015, the Conseil constitutionnel (Constitutional Council) found that the French legal requirement for parents to have their children vaccinated against diphtheria, tetanus, and poliomyelitis was constitutionally valid. (Conseil Constitutionnel (Constitutional Council), Decision No. 2015-458 QPC, Epoux L. (Mar. 20, 2015), Conseil Constitutionnel website.) The Conseil constitutionnel is the French […]
Topic: Child health, Health promotion and preventive care, Public health
(May 7, 2015) The National Council for Medically Assisted Procreation (Conselho Nacional de Procriação Medicamente Assistida) of Portugal for the first time authorized a couple whose five-year-old daughter suffers from leukemia to have a baby, selected from laboratory-generated embryos, who would be able to be a bone marrow donor compatible with his or her older […]
