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Informed Consent: Some Challenges to the Universal Validity of the Western Model

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 April 2021

Robert J. Levine
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Extract

This paper presents first an account of informed consent as it is envisioned and ethically grounded in the Western world. Next there is a discussion of why the Western model is unsuitable in much of the remainder of the world where the concept of “person” differs substantially from that of Western societies. This is followed by some comments on the current controversy on whether ethical standards should be regarded as universally applicable or, rather, whether some degree of ethical and cultural relativism is to be regarded as legitimate. After providing preliminary responses to some questions posed by the Conference Programme Committee, the paper concludes with a proposal for a procedural approach to the resolution of problems with informed consent.

Type
Article
Information
Law, Medicine and Healthcare , Volume 19 , Issue 3-4 , Fall Winter 1991 , pp. 207 - 213
Copyright
Copyright © American Society of Law, Medicine and Ethics 1991

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References

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