Reconceiving the family: The process of consent in medical decisionmaking
MG Kuczewski - Hastings Center Report, 1996 - Wiley Online Library
Hastings Center Report, 1996•Wiley Online Library
Reconceiving the Family: The Process of Consent in Medical Decisionmaking Page 1
Hastings Center Report, March-April 1996 M edical ethics has rediscovered the family. At 1
least two Eactors have con- I 1 tributed to widening the focus from the individual. There has
been a geneml revival of communitarian rhetoric in the United States that, of course, brings
the role of social relations to the fore. Similarly, we should not underestimate the natural
progression and development of medical ethics. Having focused on the rights of the patient …
Hastings Center Report, March-April 1996 M edical ethics has rediscovered the family. At 1
least two Eactors have con- I 1 tributed to widening the focus from the individual. There has
been a geneml revival of communitarian rhetoric in the United States that, of course, brings
the role of social relations to the fore. Similarly, we should not underestimate the natural
progression and development of medical ethics. Having focused on the rights of the patient …
Bioethicists think about families in terms of conflicting interests. This mistake results from an impoverished notion of informed consent. Only by adequately characterizing the process of informed consent can we capture the phenomenon of shared decisionmaking.
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