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Article: Informed Consent
- Article from:
- Encyclopedia of Public Health
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2002 The Gale Group Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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INFORMED CONSENT
The concept of informed consent originated with the recognition of individuals' rights to freedom and human dignity. People reduced to conditions of slavery were subjected without their consent to interferences with their freedom. Children and other dependent persons may also be treated in ways to which they do not consent, but those responsible for their care, such as parents or other legal guardians, are bound by ethical and legal limits in the procedures they can authorize.
ETHICAL ORIGIN
The ethical principle of respect for autonomy requires that people capable of responsible independence should not be subjected to others' interventions with their bodily freedom or ...