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Refusing The Right To Refuse: Coerced Treatment Of Mentally Disabled Persons, Grant H. Morris

Grant H Morris

Under the common law doctrine of informed consent, if a person is competent to understand the risks, benefits, and alternatives to proposed treatment, that person is allowed to decide whether to accept or reject the proposed treatment. Informed consent is not required if the person is incompetent or if an emergency arises that necessitates treatment to save the person’s life.

Nevertheless, various devices are used to deny mentally disordered persons their right to refuse treatment even when they are competent decisionmakers and even when no emergency exists. For example, some courts substitute a “limited due process” model for a “full …