Ethical Analysis of Husband's Consent to His Wife's Treatment

The concept of informed consent has its roots in respect for patient’s autonomy.1 Autonomy means selfgovernance of a person without others interferences. Respect for autonomy is to acknowledge a person’s right to make choices and act based on his/her own values and believes.2 Everyone has equal right to individual freedom and should be free from others’ interference in his/her personal affairs. Every mature and grown-up person has a right to make decision in her best interest and no one is allowed to interfere in her personal affairs, particularly intervention on her body. Respect for patient’s autonomy is a part of respect for her human dignity.3, 4 The professional duty of the physician in this regard is to inform and empower the patients to choose the treatment approach and to obtain consent for any diagnostic or therapeutic intervention on their bodies. Serious attention has been paid to respect for autonomy in the recent century