European Court: Murderer Has Right to Father Child
From the desk of The Brussels Journal on Wed, 2007-12-05 14:50
A quote from The [London] Times, 5 December 2007
Britain breached the human rights of a murderer and his wife by refusing them access to IVF treatment, the European Court ruled yesterday. Kirk Dickson, 35, and his wife Lorraine [49] now have the right to start a family even though he is serving a life sentence. […]
They had launched a legal battle in October 2001, but David Blunkett, then Home Secretary, rejected their claim. The Dicksons took their fight to the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, where, in April 2006, they lost again. However, the court’s Grand Chamber overturned that ruling yesterday, voting 12 to 5 in favour of allowing the couple access to the treatment and awarding them €5,000 (£3,500) in damages and €21,000 in costs.
The couple’s lawyer, Elkan Abrahamson, said last night that they were both elated at the decision. However, it would make little difference because Dickson was now in an open prison and allowed home leave.
Not a Breach but a Consequence
Submitted by Dr. D on Thu, 2007-12-06 22:09.
There really was no breach of this couple's rights, but rather a simple consequence of the evil done by one of them. When you commit murder, you become liable for punishment that includes possibly a number of inconveniences, including even the lack of opportunity to start a family. That is just how things have been since the beginning of time. If the murderer had been put to death as he would have been in more rational and reasonable times, then that lack of opportunity would have become permanent, but that is still not the fault of anyone but the murderer.
How can it be that a
Submitted by Mystery Meat on Wed, 2007-12-05 19:35.
How can it be that a murderer is held in an "open prison" and allowed home leave? (This is a rhetorical question.)
At least Europe will benefit from this murderer passing on his genes.