22 January 2026
Event Date(s)/Period(s)
22 Jan 2026
Organised by:
The Centre for Medical Ethics and Law (CMEL)
The English Mental Capacity Act 2005 and Singapore's Mental Capacity Act 2008 (which largely adopted provisions from the former statute) might appear to be twins on paper, but they have gone on to lead very different lives. In this seminar, Ms Hillary Chua, from the National University of Singapore, explained how and why these two broadly identical laws have taken on divergent identities when implemented and interpreted in the courtroom, especially in cases concerning consent to medical treatment, sexual relations, and the financial affairs of elderly and disabled people. These differences extend to the stage at which a person's decision-making agency is putatively empowered; the judicial development of central concepts; and underlying socio-cultural commitments. Ms Chua examined the implications of transplanting a statute from a Western to an Eastern cultural context, and what this could mean for comparative mental capacity law in Asian jurisdictions like Hong Kong. Professor Craig Purshouse, from the University of Hong Kong, was the chair of the seminar.
Follow HKUMed