CELAB

Judit Sandor's chapter, “Secrets and Lies: Moral Confusion and Banning All Forms of Surrogacy in Hungary,” has been published in Surrogacy Today: A European Legal Overview, edited by Takis Vidalis and Ismini Kriari (Trivent Publishing).

How is surrogacy regulated in Europe today? How much has the intervention of the European Court of Human Rights, for the first time at the level of common European law, in such a controversial area affected national legislations? And finally, where is the balance between respect for human dignity and the right to create a family?

This collective volume presents a representative picture of surrogacy regulation in Europe. At a time when the phenomenon of "fertility tourism" is flourishing, comparing national legal systems, seeking common ground, and pinpointing differences are necessary prerequisites for a more rational approach to the method and, perhaps, for better policy design in this area.

New piece by Péter Kakuk in the Open Journal of Preventive Medicine:

Devisch, I. , Zuckerman, S. , Sahm, S. , Kakuk, P. and Kimsma, G. (2026)
What Are We Talking about When We Talk about End-of-Life? A Descriptive Analysis of End-of-Life Discussions from Five Countries. Open Journal of Preventive Medicine, 16, 145-167.
doi: 10.4236/ojpm.2026.167010.

End-of-life (EOL) regulations vary significantly across countries, not only in terms of legal frameworks and ethical principles but also in the societal processes and public debates that shape them. This paper explores these dynamics in five countries—Belgium, Germany, Hungary, Israel, and the Netherlands—each of which offers a distinct perspective on EOL decision-making, shaped by its unique historical, cultural, religious, political, and legal contexts. A central theme in this paper is the role of the medical profession in shaping EOL policy. For over five decades, the World Medical Association has maintained a firm stance against physician-assisted dying (PAD), often placing it at odds with more liberal national debates. This paper offers both a detailed account of national developments and a comparative analysis of the five countries. We examine how historical trajectories, public debates, and professional attitudes have shaped EOL policies, and how tensions between public opinion and medical ethics continue to influence the implementation of these laws. Ultimately, we reflect on how societies with moral pluralism navigate the complex terrain of end-of-life decision-making.

What Are We Talking about When We Talk about End-of-Life A Descriptive Analysis of End-of-Life Discussions from Five Countries End-of-life (EOL) regulations vary significantly across countries, not only in terms of legal frameworks and ethical principles but also in the societal processes and public debates that shape them. This paper explores these dynamics in five countries—Belgium, Germany, Hungary, Israel, and the Net...

World Association of Medical Law in Antwerp: new, reelected and outgoing governors. We are happy to share that Judit Sandor was reelected for the period of 2026-2030.

Judit Sandor will speak at the 30th Annual World Congress for Medical Law, which is taking place in Antwerp, Belgium from August 5–7, 2026, and hosted at the University of Antwerp in collaboration with the Antwerp Health Law and Ethics Chair (AHLEC).

We are happy to share the news that Judit Sandor was invited by the Director General of UNESCO to be a member of the International Bioethics Committee from 2026 to 2029.

It is a unique body within UN/UNESCO that reflects on the ethical and legal issues raised by the developments in medicine and life sciences.

🚨 We're Thrilled to Announce the Launch of the European Journal of Health Law (EJHL) on LinkedIn!
⏲️ Yes, it was about time!
After years of publishing relevant scholarship at the core of EU health law, we're now bringing the EJHL community to this dynamic platform to connect with health lawyers, scholars, and policymakers across Europe and beyond.
👉 What We Do:
The EJHL is Europe's premier platform for advancing health law at national, comparative, and international levels. We foster vibrant exchange among health lawyers, showcase the work of leading European organizations, explore ethical questions with legal implications, and highlight national legislation and court decisions with international significance.
🆕 What's New:
We're also launching our completely revised Author Instructions—designed to make your submission process smoother, clearer, and more straightforward than ever before. For example, we now refer to Oxford Society for Commercial Law (OSCOLA) rather than providing detailed examples, so that scholars using citation software can easily adopt this style. We also added several new publication types, such as concept papers, opinion papers, summaries of recently defended PhDs, remarks on a recent policy development, legislative action, or judicial decision briefs. Whether you're a seasoned contributor or submitting for the first time, our new guidelines will guide you every step of the way.
💡 Exciting Developments Ahead:
In the last few weeks, we also expanded our editorial team to strengthen the journal's scope and impact. Welcome to Kristof Van Assche, Oliver Bartlett, Joaquín Cayón De Las Cuevas, Giacomo Di Federico, Nicola Glover-Thomas, Anniek de Ruijter, Yana Litins'ka, Aurélie Mahalatchimy, Marcin Michalak, Judit Sandor, Claudia Seitz and Karl Harald Søvig!
👉 Follow our page to stay updated on the latest publications, calls for papers, and discussions shaping the future of health law in Europe. Tag European Journal of Health Law and use to streamline the reshare!
🔗 Journal Website: https://lnkd.in/dZ7zWzTZ
Editors: Tom Goffin (Editor-in-Chief), Mette Hartlev, Titti Mattsson, Sofia Palmieri (Managing Editor), Markus Frischhut
European Association of Health Law
De Gruyter Brill
De Gruyter Brill Law

Judit Sandor is currently participating at the ICON-S 2026: Reimagining Public Law for a Fractured World: Technology, Identity & Truth conference.

Her paper on "Reproducing Inequality in Reproduction" is presented in the panel: "Reproducing the European Demos: Constituent Power, Reproductive Technologies, and European Constitutionalism".

The conference taking place in UCD from 29 June to 1 July is set to be the largest public law conference ever held in Ireland and will focus on the most pressing issues in constitutional, administrative, and international law.

Hosted by UCD Sutherland School of Law, and jointly organized by the UCD Centre for Constitutional Studies.

At ICON-S 2026, delegates will have access to an exceptionally rich and diverse program spanning constitutional, legal, and governance scholarship. With 200+ panels across multiple thematic tracks, the conference offers something for every interest:

- panels on the rule of law, separation of powers, and democracy
- panels on AI, digital technology, and algorithmic governance
- panels on EU law and regulation
- panels on equality, human rights, and fundamental rights
- panels on courts, judicial politics, and power

…and many more sessions on environmental governance, climate and sustainability, economic regulation, money and markets, electoral law, and democratic processes.

A truly wide-ranging program reflecting the evolving landscape of global constitutional and governance scholarship at ICON-S 2026.

The complete program is available here:
https://virtual.oxfordabstracts.com/event/74960/program

A Hungarian-language article covering the appointment of our visiting fellow, Judit Zeller, to the position of Deputy State Secretary in the Ministry of Social and Family Affairs:

Judit Zeller, a lawyer and program leader at the Hungarian civil rights organization Társaság a Szabadságjogokért (TASZ), has been appointed deputy state secretary in Hungary’s Ministry of Social Affairs and Family Affairs.

She previously led TASZ’s Equality and Self-Determination Program and has worked at the organization since 2016, focusing on issues such as patients’ rights, self-determination, end-of-life decisions, education rights, and parental rights. TASZ highlighted her long-standing commitment to human rights advocacy and said her expertise will likely bring a strong rights-based perspective to her government role.

The appointment is framed by TASZ and the article as a notable development, since a prominent civil society human rights expert is now moving into a senior government position.

A Szociális és Családügyi Minisztérium helyettes államtitkára lett Zeller Judit, a TASZ munkatársa 2016 óta volt a jogvédő szervezetnél, eddig az Esélyegyenlőségi és Önrendelkezési Programot vezette.