Revisit on Gillick Competence [1985]

Please review my blog on 15 November 2017 first before proceeding further on this blog.

Gillick competence is a term originating in England and is used in medical law to decide whether a child (under 16 years of age) is able to consent to his/her own medical treatment, without the need for parental permission or knowledge.

The ruling holds significant implications for the legal rights of minor children in England in that it is broader in scope than merely medical consent. It lays down that the authority of parents to make decisions for their minor children is not absolute but diminishes with the child's evolving maturity.

The parental right to determine whether or not their minor child below the age of 16 will have medical treatment terminates if and when the child achieves sufficient understanding and intelligence to understand fully what is proposed.