... patient? I will conclude that in fact the interests of other parties other than the patient are accounted for in certain situations and that the law appears to be edging towards giving these groups more recognition. The notion of consent represents the ethical principle that each person has a right to self-determination and is entitled to have their autonomy respected. As Justice Cardozo proclaimed in his classic statement: "Every human being of adult years and sound mind has a right to determine what shall be done with his own body; and a surgeon who performs an operation without his patient's consent commits an assault, for which he is liable in damages."1 A competent adult is generally entitled to reject some or all treatment even if this entails risks as serious as death. The classic case where the patient refuses treatment and might then die due to this refusal is the case of Jehovah ...

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