title: The one who chooses a country chooses its laws: health law and multicultural societies.
abstract: Health systems in Europe tangle with various cultural traditions and religious convictions and ethnic related specific health needs. Multicultural societies face health systems with challenges of human rights and values. When a person's right to freedom of religion comes into conflict with other interests of public health and the rights and freedoms of others, the freedom of religion might then be justifiably limited. Such limitation is a necessary means to be considerd under every democratic society; such limitations concerns a mechanism of proportionality as prescribed by law; yet does not constitute a discriminatory regime. To meet with health disparities between the non-western and the autochtonous groups of the population in multicultural societies, health systems must appropriately address the health needs of the different groups. To overcome present inequality in access for non-autochthonous groups of the population in multicultural societies, a paradigm shift from primary focus on the health of a rather homogenous Western population towards diversity in health needs is necessary.
authors.affiliation: European Association of Health Law.
authors.forename: Henriette D C Roscam
authors.initials: HD
authors.lastname: Abbing
mesh_terms: D018864:Cultural Diversity; D003695:Delivery of Health Care / Q000208:ethnology / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D054242:Emigrants and Immigrants; D005060:Europe; D006297:Health Services Accessibility / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D054624:Health Status Disparities; D006806:Human Rights / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D006801:Humans; D012068:Religion and Medicine