Victoria Gillick | |
|---|---|
| Born | Victoria D. M. Gudgeon 1946 (age 77–78) Hendon, UK |
| Nationality | British |
| Occupation | Mother |
| Known for | Legal action which she lost in the 1985 UK House of Lords ruling which became known as the "Gillick competence" test |
| Spouse | Gordon Gillick |
| Children | 10 children (five sons, five daughters) |
Victoria D. M. Gillick (née Gudgeon; born 1946, in Hendon) is a British activist and campaigner best known for the eponymous 1985 UK House of Lords ruling[1] that considered whether contraception could be prescribed to under-16s without parental consent or knowledge. The ruling established the term "Gillick competence" to describe whether a young person below the age of 16 is able to consent to his or her own medical treatment, without the need for parental permission or knowledge.
A Roman Catholic mother of 10 children (five sons, five daughters), Gillick began her campaign in 1980 in response to a DHSS circular issuing guidance on contraceptive stating a minor could consent to treatment, and that in these circumstances a parent had no power to veto treatment.
In 2000, Gillick lost a libel action[2] against the Brook Advisory Centres, which she claimed accused her of being "morally responsible" for a rise in teenage pregnancies. Costs of £4,298.15 were awarded against her. In 2002, however, she won an apology and damages amounting to £5,000 and costs.[3]
Living in Wisbech,[4] she is married to Cambridgeshire County Councillor and former UKIP councillor Gordon Gillick.[5] One of their sons is the painter James Gillick.
References
- ↑ 1983: Mother loses contraception test case, bbc.co.uk; accessed 5 December 2016.
- ↑ Victoria Gillick 'broke' after losing libel case, Telegraph.co.uk; accessed 18 May 2017.
- ↑ Morals campaigner wins damages, bbc.co.uk; accessed 5 December 2016.
- ↑ OLD RATCLIFFIAN NEWS; retrieved 5 December 2016.
- ↑ "Ukip councillor Gordon Gillick: 'Poor, badly educated people are fat because they like it'", Independent.co.uk, 24 July 2014.