Informed consent is a cornerstone of contemporary medical practice in the West. It is the primary means through which the principle of respect for autonomy is translated into practice. Informed consent procedures acknowledge that the patient has the right to make care decisions.
Consent makes it permissible to do things, such as inserting foreign objects into another person’s body, that would otherwise be considered illegal (without consent, inserting foreign objects into another person’s body would be a clear example of assault).
Legal precedents regarding informed consent have established that patients have a right to know what their health care provider intends to do, what risks are entailed by the proposed action, and any other information that would be pertinent to a reasonable person in the patient’s position.