ABSTRACT
In bioethics, “consent” invokes primarily an alleged requirement of informed consent to medical research and care. Some aspects of this requirement are broadly accepted. Partly in order to settle remaining controversies on the requirement’s scope, force, and detail, this chapter explores its grounds. Variability and continuity in the requirement help identify its grounds, including several familiar ones and a second-order ground, based on the value of reducing dignitary harm. This complex grounding may make the status of the requirement less straightforward than is usually assumed.
