15 December 2021
		 |  Andrew Burd (Prof Rtd) 
 
		 
 
			   
		
		
			 
			In the context of medicine, we typically speak of informed consent as having both an ethical and a legal basis. The ethics are related to patient autonomy and human rights. The legal perspective relates to the definition of what occurs if consent is not obtained, and a physical intervention occurs (assault or battery at a minimum and it would appear, gross negligence if things go wrong).