Members of the Shoura Council who discussed a draft law to protect children during their session Monday have differed over the age of puberty. When the argument reached its peak, Dr. Abdullah Aal Al-Sheikh, Speaker of the Shoura Council, intervened and said the age of puberty is legally defined according to the Hanafi school of thought, which classifies three stages of growth: the ability to distinguishing things, puberty and adolescence. He also suggested that the Shoura Council organize a forum to orient its members with the age of puberty and address the matter in a booklet that would be distributed to them. Members of the Shoura Council praised its Social Affairs Committee for its efforts to compile the child protection draft law because all its articles conform to the spirit of the Shariah law and international conventions. Dr. Abdul Rahman Al-Al-Anad, a Shoura member, requested that the Social Affairs Committee reconsider an article stipulating punishment for parents who allow underage children to drive cars. He said the current law is sufficient. The Shoura Council also approved the Health and Environment Affairs Committee's recommendation to study a draft law on quality control at medical facilities and patients' safety and other concerns, which was presented by Dr. Mohsen Al-Hazemi. The 23-article draft addresses patients' safety, security and rights. Another member of the Shoura Council, Dr. Khalil Al-Brahim, said medical services in the Kingdom have organizational shortcomings, especially in the areas of patients' rights and medical errors. He pointed out that medical errors this year had resulted in 369 deaths and said the new draft law would upgrade the quality of medical services and reduce errors.
