Law in Everyday Life and Death: A Socio-Legal Study of Chronic Disorders of Consciousness

Simon Halliday; Celia Kitzinger; Jenny Kitzinger

doi:10.1111/lest.12042

Law in Everyday Life and Death: A Socio-Legal Study of Chronic Disorders of Consciousness

Simon Halliday, Celia Kitzinger, Jenny Kitzinger

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

This paper addresses, from a socio-legal perspective, the question of the significance of law for the treatment, care and the end-of-life decision making for patients with chronic disorders of consciousness. We use the phrase ‘chronic disorders of consciousness’ as an umbrella term to refer to severely brain-injured patients in prolonged comas, vegetative or minimally conscious states. Based on an analysis of interviews with family members of patients with chronic disorders of consciousness, we explore the images of law that were drawn upon and invoked by these family members when negotiating the situation of their relatives, including, in some cases, the ending of their lives. By examining ‘legal consciousness’ in this way (an admittedly confusing term in the context of this study,) we offer a distinctly sociological contribution to the question of how law matters in this particular domain of social life.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	55-74
Journal	Legal Studies
Volume	35
Issue number	1
Early online date	20 Feb 2014
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1111/lest.12042
Publication status	Published - Mar 2015

Keywords

legal consciousness
disorders of consciousness
vegetative state
minimal consciousness
sociology of law

Access to Document

10.1111/lest.12042

Simon Halliday
- sh1079york.acuk
- York Law School - Professor, Former employee
Person: Academic

1 Conference participation
1 Seminar/workshop/course

1st Centre for Chronic Diseases and Disorders Conference
Simon Halliday (Speaker)
Nov 2013
Activity: Participating in or organising an event › Seminar/workshop/course
Law & Society Association Meeting
Simon Halliday (Participant)
30 May 2013 → 2 Jun 2013
Activity: Participating in or organising an event › Conference participation

Chronic Disorders of Consciousness Research Centre
Kitzinger, C. (Principal investigator), Halliday, S. (Co-investigator), Holland, S. M. (Co-investigator) & Nettleton, S. (Co-investigator)
1/09/12 → 31/08/14
Project: Other project › Research collaboration
CDoC Research Group: C2D2 research 1b, 2a & 3a - Chronic Disorders of Consciousness: An interdisciplinary Research Project
Kitzinger, C. (Principal investigator), Holland, S. M. (Co-investigator), Nettleton, S. (Co-investigator), Halliday, S. (Co-investigator), Hall, A. (Co-investigator) & Cookson, R. A. (Co-investigator)
1/07/12 → 31/01/14
Project: Other project › Other internal award

Cite this

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title = "Law in Everyday Life and Death: A Socio-Legal Study of Chronic Disorders of Consciousness",

abstract = "This paper addresses, from a socio-legal perspective, the question of the significance of law for the treatment, care and the end-of-life decision making for patients with chronic disorders of consciousness. We use the phrase {\textquoteleft}chronic disorders of consciousness{\textquoteright} as an umbrella term to refer to severely brain-injured patients in prolonged comas, vegetative or minimally conscious states. Based on an analysis of interviews with family members of patients with chronic disorders of consciousness, we explore the images of law that were drawn upon and invoked by these family members when negotiating the situation of their relatives, including, in some cases, the ending of their lives. By examining {\textquoteleft}legal consciousness{\textquoteright} in this way (an admittedly confusing term in the context of this study,) we offer a distinctly sociological contribution to the question of how law matters in this particular domain of social life.",

keywords = "legal consciousness, disorders of consciousness, vegetative state, minimal consciousness, sociology of law",

author = "Simon Halliday and Celia Kitzinger and Jenny Kitzinger",

year = "2015",

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doi = "10.1111/lest.12042",

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AB - This paper addresses, from a socio-legal perspective, the question of the significance of law for the treatment, care and the end-of-life decision making for patients with chronic disorders of consciousness. We use the phrase ‘chronic disorders of consciousness’ as an umbrella term to refer to severely brain-injured patients in prolonged comas, vegetative or minimally conscious states. Based on an analysis of interviews with family members of patients with chronic disorders of consciousness, we explore the images of law that were drawn upon and invoked by these family members when negotiating the situation of their relatives, including, in some cases, the ending of their lives. By examining ‘legal consciousness’ in this way (an admittedly confusing term in the context of this study,) we offer a distinctly sociological contribution to the question of how law matters in this particular domain of social life.

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Law in Everyday Life and Death: A Socio-Legal Study of Chronic Disorders of Consciousness

Abstract

Keywords

Access to Document

Profiles

Simon Halliday

Activities

1st Centre for Chronic Diseases and Disorders Conference

Law & Society Association Meeting

Projects

Chronic Disorders of Consciousness Research Centre

CDoC Research Group: C2D2 research 1b, 2a &amp; 3a - Chronic Disorders of Consciousness: An interdisciplinary Research Project

Cite this

CDoC Research Group: C2D2 research 1b, 2a & 3a - Chronic Disorders of Consciousness: An interdisciplinary Research Project