lex Maja

Swedish

Etymology

Compound of lex (“law”) +‎ Maja (“Maja”). Named after the cat Maja who, in 2016, starved to death after her owner was hospitalised.

Noun

lex Maja c

1. (Sweden, law, healthcare) The colloquial term for a specific law; which states that, in certain cases, a caregiver is allowed to disregard certain confidentiality in order to report suffering or neglected animals belonging to a care recipient.
   • 2017 September 5, Magnus Hellberg, “Katten Maja svalt ihjäl när matte blev sjuk – nu införs ny lag [The cat Maja starved to death when owner got sick - now a new law is being introduced]”, in Expressen:

     Hemtjänsten vägrade släppa in katthemmets personal när matten hamnade på sjukhus – nu införs lex Maja.

     The home assistans refused to let the cat home's staff in when the owner was hospitalised – now has lex Maja come into effect.

   • 2021 February 22, Lisa Bring, “Sjuk katt varken åt eller drack – då gjorde vårdpersonal lex Maja-anmälan [Sick cat neither ate nor drank - care staff made a lex Maja report]”, in Skövde Nyheter:

     Vårdpersonalen såg att katten hos en vårdtagare i Skövde mådde dåligt och behövde åka till veterinären. När djurägaren svarade att veterinärbesök inte behövdes valde de att göra en lex Maja-anmälan till länsstyrelsen. Omkring 100 anmälningar enligt lex Maja om djur som misstänks fara illa har gjorts i länet sedan lagen infördes 2019.

     The care staff saw that the cat at a care recipient in Skövde was unwell and needed to go to the vet. When the pet owner replied that a veterinary visit was not necessary, they chose to make a lex Maja report to the county administrative board. About 100 reports according to lex Maja about animals that are suspected of being in danger have been made in the county since the law was introduced in 2019.

Derived terms

• lex Maja-anmälan (“lex Maja report”)