Odškodninska odgovornost zdravnika v zvezi z nenačrtovanim rojstvom otroka

Slejko, Špela (author), Žnidaršič Skubic, Viktorija (mentor)

Odškodninska odgovornost zdravnika v zvezi z nenačrtovanim rojstvom otroka je odgovornost zdravnika za strokovno napako, katere posledica je spočetje ali rojstvo otroka. Tuja pravna teorija ločuje dve vrsti tovrstnih odškodninskih zahtevkov. Prvi odškodninski zahtevek je v tuji pravni terminologiji poimenovan wrongful birth. Za lažje razumevanje predstavim enega od možnih primerov: ženska se po zanositvi odloči prekiniti nosečnost, a prekinitev zaradi zdravnikove napake ni bila uspešna, zato rodi otroka, s čimer sta ji nastali tako premoženjska kot nepremoženjska škoda. Institut je razmeroma nov in še nepoznan, zato je v pravni teoriji in sodni praksi več različnih stališč, kako o njem odločiti. Stališča se med seboj razlikujejo predvsem glede obsega priznane škode. V veliki večini pravnih redov danes sodišča staršem oz. materi, ki ni načrtovala otroka, prisodijo odškodnino za nastalo nepremoženjsko škodo zaradi telesnih in duševnih bolečin ter strahu pred spolnimi odnosi in ponovno nenačrtovano zanositvijo. Povrnitev premoženjske škode pa zaradi nastalih zdravstvenih stroškov (dodatni pregledi, nuhalna svetlina, dvojni hormonski test, ipd.), stroškov v času nosečnosti (potrebna prehranska dopolnila in oblačila) in izgubljenega dobička. Sodišča v nekaterih državah prisodijo povrnitev premoženjske škode v obliki mesečne rente za preživljanje otroka, ki je določena s pomočjo kriterijev, uporabljenih v preživninskih sporih. Drugi odškodninski zahtevek je v tuji pravni terminologiji poimenovan wrongful life. Gre za odškodninski zahtevek otroka s posebnimi potrebami (okvarami v telesnem ali duševnem stanju), ki zatrjuje, da če zdravnik ne bi storil strokovne napake, ne bi bil spočet ali rojen. Gre za primere, ko bi zdravnik moral še pred nosečnostjo ugotoviti tveganja za rojstvo otroka s prirojenimi motnjami. Ko napačno oceni takšno tveganje ali o tveganju ne obvesti staršev. Zahtevek je sporen, saj z njim otrok zatrjuje, da raje ne bi bil rojen ter da svoje življenje dojema kot škodo. V pravni teoriji in sodni praksi ni enotnega stališča, ali bi zahtevek morali priznati ali ne.

• Language: Slovenian
• Keywords: Odškodninska odgovornost zdravnika, zdravniška napaka, svoboda odločanja o rojstvih otrok, nenačrtovano rojstvo otroka, prekinitev nosečnosti, premoženjska škoda, preživljanje otroka, wrongful birth, wrongful life.
• Work type: Master's thesis/paper
• Organization: PF - Faculty of Law
• Year: 2023
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-147124
• COBISS.SI-ID: 158635267
• Publication date in RUL: 23.06.2023

Secondary language

• Language: English
• Title: Liability of physicians for unplanned birth of a child

Abstract

The compensation liability of a doctor for the unplanned birth of a child is the responsibility of a doctor for a professional error that results in the conception or birth of a child. Foreign legal theory distinguishes between two types of such compensation claims. In foreign legal terminology the first compensation claim is called wrongful birth. For easier understanding, let me present one of the possible examples: a woman after becoming pregnant decides to terminate her pregnancy, but the termination in not successful due to a doctor's error, so she gives birth to a child, causing her both pecuniary and non-pecuniary loss. The topic is relatively new and not yet known, so in legal theory and jurisprudence there are several different points of view on how to decide about it. The viewpoints differ mainly in regarding the extent of the recognized loss. In the majority of legal systems nowadays, the court decides to compensate the woman or the parents of an unplanned child for non-pecuniary loss caused by physical and mental pain and fear of sexual relations and unplanned re-conception. As far as the pecuniary loss is concerned, courts usually compensate parents' medical expenses, costs of pregnancy and lost profits. In addition, courts in some countries award maintance or upbringing compensation in the form of monthly alimony, which is determined by the criteria used in alimony cases. The second compensation claim in this specific topic in foreign legal terminology is called wrongful life. It is a claim for compensation by a child with special needs (impairments in physical or mental condition), who claims compensation arguing that were it not for the negligence of the doctor in question, they would not have been concived or born at all. In these cases, doctor did not identify the risk of birth of a severely disabled child before the pregnancy, incorrectly evaluated such risk or did not inform the parents about the risk. The claim is a very controversial one, because with it the child claims that they would rather not have been born and that they recognize their life as a loss. In legal theory and case law, there is no unified viewpoint on whether the claim should be accepted or denied.

• Keywords: Liability of physicians, medical error, freedom of decision on the birth of children, unplanned birth of a child, termination of pregnancy, pecuniary loss, child support, wrongful birth, wrongful life.