Co-opting Laws to Influence Prevailing Medical and Legal Thinking: "Off-Label" Conceptual Use of One-Punch Laws and Boxing

The law shapes the disposition and actions of persons, and what is acceptable and ethical in a community. However, laws in society can potentially be co-opted to influence medical and legal thought in other areas, using an "off-label" conceptual interpretation. For example, medical authori...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inJournal of law and medicine Vol. 28; no. 4; p. 1066
Main Author Lee, Joseph
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Australia 01.12.2021
Subjects
Boxing
Coroners and Medical Examiners
Criminal Law
Europe
Humans
United Kingdom
United States
United States
United Kingdom
Europe
coronial inquest
boxing
traumatic brain injury
criminal law
medical ethics
one punch can kill
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Summary:The law shapes the disposition and actions of persons, and what is acceptable and ethical in a community. However, laws in society can potentially be co-opted to influence medical and legal thought in other areas, using an "off-label" conceptual interpretation. For example, medical authorities have recognised the dangers of blows to the head in boxing, with some being fatal. Elsewhere, recent criminal law target assaults causing death by one punch. These laws, alongside coronial inquests, can be helpful in shifting the outlook on boxing, its risks, and fatalities. The cause of both forms of deaths usually involves traumatic brain injuries. This article analyses the contexts surrounding one-punch laws, and some legal proceedings and coroners' inquests, to seek alternative perspectives and the medical and ethical implications of such laws. The discussions also refer to legislation, and socio-legal and medical ethics debates in the United Kingdom, Europe, and the United States.
ISSN:1320-159X