Badul C J, Strode A, Singh P P
Law Clinic, Pietermaritzburg Campus, School of Law, College of Law and Management Studies, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa; School of Law, College of Law and Management Studies, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa.
S Afr Med J. 2018 Jun 26;108(7):557-558. doi: 10.7196/SAMJ.2018.v108i7.13141.
The need to obtain informed consent prior to any sterilisation is a very well-established ethical and legal obligation. South African law, however, does not specifically state who is responsible for obtaining informed consent before performing a sterilisation. This has implications for the liability of a surgeon or gynaecologist in circumstances where the informed consent is defective. Due to the vagueness of the applicable law, a surgeon or gynaecologist might be held liable, even in situations where he/she did not obtain the consent and relied on a nurse or assistant to procure the relevant informed consent. This article explores the relevant statutory law and canvasses two legal cases that came before the court regarding defective informed consent and the resultant liability for damages. We also make recommendations for proposed amendments to the current law to provide further clarity.
在进行任何绝育手术之前获得知情同意的必要性是一项既定的伦理和法律义务。然而，南非法律并未明确规定在进行绝育手术前谁负责获取知情同意。这对于在知情同意存在缺陷的情况下外科医生或妇科医生的责任具有影响。由于适用法律的模糊性，外科医生或妇科医生可能会被追究责任，即使在其未获取同意并依赖护士或助手来获取相关知情同意的情况下。本文探讨了相关的成文法，并审视了两起提交至法院的关于知情同意存在缺陷及由此产生的损害赔偿责任的法律案件。我们还就现行法律的拟议修正案提出建议，以提供进一步的明确性。
