Victoria Gillick
British activist and campaigner (born 1946)
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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 their own medical treatment, without the need for parental permission or knowledge.
1946 (age 79–80)
Victoria Gillick | |
|---|---|
| Born | Victoria D. M. Gudgeon 1946 (age 79–80) Hendon, England |
| 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, including James |
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.[citation needed]
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.
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