Paternalism vs. autonomy? Substitute and supported decision-making in England and Hungary

Abstract

This paper explores substitute and supported decision-making in the light of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). The CRPD, adopted by the UN General Assembly in 2006, introduces a 'paradigm shift' in the regulation of legal capacity by endorsing the idea of universal legal capacity, i.e. that everyone, including persons with disabilities 'enjoy legal capacity on an equal basis with others'. After examining the conceptual and regulatory issues surrounding substitute and supported decision-making and the requirements of the CRPD and the first General Comment of the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (GC1), the paper proceeds to examine the regulations of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (England & Wales) and the Hungarian Civil Code and their (non-)compliance with the CRPD and GC1.