Is there patient autonomy in Halacha

摘要: Patient autonomy, the right of a patient to determine his or her mode medical treatment reject it, is sine qua non modern ethics. Indeed, many our most fundamental and universally accepted practices are rooted in autonomy: informed consent, truth telling, risking rejecting hazardous (and even some basic) procedures surgery, advance directives, such as living wills health care proxies. autonomy actually another aspect individual doctrine central constitutional tradition. In 1914, Judge Cardozo articulated this concept: “Every human being adult years sound mind has what shall be done with body surgeon who performs an operation without patient’s consent commits assault for which he liable damage.”1 Since must able procedure may (or not) performed on body, fully available options any procedure. fact, “unless physician discloses certain information before performing procedure, entitled damages if was correctly. The exact scope disclosure demanded doctor not clear, but courts require that told diagnosis, nature proposed risks benefits alternative their benefits, consequences having procedure.”2