Autonomy, Informed Consent and Medical Law: A Relational Challenge.

• Position: Brief article - Book review

Maclean, Alasdair. Autonomy, Informed Consent and Medical Law. New York, N.Y.: Cambridge University Press, 2009.

Professor Maclean analyses the ethical basis for consent to medical treatment, providing both an extensive reconsideration of the ethical issues and a detailed examination of English law. The analysis is given a context by situating consent at the center of the healthcare professional-patient relationship. This allows the development of a relational model that balances the agency of the two parties with their obligations arising from that...