Can consent be presumed?

Journal of Applied Philosophy

Volumn 28, Issue 3, 2011, Pages 295-307

  den Hartogh, Govert ^a  

^a UNIVERSITY OF AMSTERDAM   (Netherlands)

Author keywords

[No Author keywords available]

Indexed keywords

EID: 84864726423     PISSN: 02643758     EISSN: 14685930     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1111/j.1468-5930.2011.00524.x     Document Type: Article

References (57)

1. Peter Westen, The Logic of Consent:The Diversity and Deceptiveness of Consent as a Defence to Criminal Conduct (Aldershot: Ashgate Publishing Company, 2004).
2. David Degrazia, Human Identity and Bioethics (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2005) with further references.
3. T. Martin Wilkinson, ‘Individual and family consent to organ and tissue donation: Is the current position coherent?’, Journal of Medical Ethics 31 (2005): 587–90.
4. Harry E. Emson, ‘It is immoral to require consent for cadaver organ donation’, Journal of Medical Ethics 29 (2003): 125–7
5. Johan S. Ach, Michael Anderheiden & Michael Quante, Ethik der Organtransplantation (Erlangen: Harald Fischer Verlag, 2006), pp. 75–7
6. James Stacey Taylor, ‘The unjustified assumptions of organ conscription’, HEC Forum 21 (2009): 115–33.
7. Joel Feinberg, Harm to Others (New York: Oxford University Press, 1984), pp. 79–95
8. T. Martin Wilkinson, ‘Research on the dead’, Journal of Applied Philosophy 19 (2002): 31–41.
9. Daniel Sperling, Posthumous Interests: Legal and Ethical Perspectives (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2008)
10. Edna Ullmann-Margalit, ‘On presumption’, The Journal of Philosophy 80 (1983): 143–64.
11. Barbara K. Pierscionek, ‘What is presumed when we presume consent?’, BMC Medical Ethics 9 (2008)
12. Paul M. Hughes, ‘Presumed consent: State organ confiscation or mandated charity?’, HEC Forum 21 (2009): 1–26.
13. Joel Feinberg, Harm to Self (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1986), p. 187
14. David Price, Human Tissue in Transplantation and Research: A Model Legal and Ethical Donation Framework. (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2009): pp. 140–48.
15. This justification has been defended by Price op.cit., pp. 142–48, and by M. Wilkinson in a forthcoming book. See Govert den Hartogh, ‘ “In the best interests of the deceased”. A possible justification of organ removal without consent?’, under review.
16. Price op. cit., pp. 124, 128; Nationaler Ethikrat, Increasing the Number of Organ Donations:A Pressing Issue for Transplant Medicine in Germany (Berlin: German National Ethics Council, 2007).
17. See e.g. Nationaler Ethikrat op. cit., p. 42; British Medical Association, Organ Donation in the 21st Century: Time for a Consolidated Approach. (BMA, 2003).
18. Donor Register, Donorregister in Beeld: Jaarrapport 2007 (Kerkrade: Donorregister, 2008).
19. Monique Taels & W. Fred van Raaij, Beslissystemen, beloningen en orgaandonatie (Den Haag: Ministerie van Volksgezondheid,Welzijn en Sport, 2008).
20. Robert M. Veatch & Jonathan B. Pitt, ‘The myth of presumed consent: Ethical problems in new organ procurement strategies’, Transplantation Proceedings 27 (1995): 1888–92
21. Charles A. Erin & John Harris, ‘Presumed consent or contracting out’, Journal of Medical Ethics 25 (1999): 365–366
22. Robert M. Veatch, Transplantation Ethics (Washington DC: Georgetown University Press, 2000), p. 171
23. J. Michael Dennis, Patricia Hanson, Ernest E. Hodge, Ruud A.F. Krom & Robert M. Veatch, ‘An evaluation of the ethics of presumed consent and a proposal based on required response. A report of the Presumed Consent Subcommittee United Network for Organ Sharing Ethics Committee’, UNOS Update 10 (1994): 16–21
24. Herman Nys, ‘Een toestemmingssysteem is onverenigbaar met toestemming of bezwaar door nabestaanden’, Tijdschrift voor Gezondheidsrecht 28 (2004): 343–6
25. Council on Ethical and Judicial Affairs, Report on Presumed consent for Organ Donation. CEJA-report 7 (Chicago, IL: American Medical Association, 2005)
26. Aaron Spital & James S. Taylor, ‘Routine recovery of cadaveric organs for transplantation: Consistent, fair, and lifesaving’, Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology 2 (2007): 300–3.
27. Carl Cohen, ‘The case for presumed consent to transplant human organs after death’, Transplantation Proceedings 24 (1992): 2168–72
28. Fady Moustarah, ‘Organ procurement: Let’s presume consent’, Canadian Medical Association Journal 158 (1998): 231–4
29. Veronica English & Ann Somerville, ‘Presumed consent for transplantation: A dead issue after Alder Hey?’, Journal of Medical Ethics 29 (2003): 147–52
30. Michael B. Gill, ‘Presumed consent, autonomy, and organ donation’, Journal of Medicine and Philosophy 29 (2004): 37–59.
31. Each of these predicates is ‘alienans’, as the medievals said (Peter T. Geach, Mental Acts:Their Content and their Objects (London: Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1956).
32. On this view opt-in systems are systems of presumed non-consent, cf. Cohen op. cit.; M. Roy First, ‘The organ shortage and allocation issues’, Transplantation Proceedings 33 (2001): 806–10
33. Marie Jacob, ‘Another look at the presumed-versus-informed consent dichotomy in postmortem organ procurement’, Bioethics 20 (2006): 293–300.
34. Cf. the analysis of ‘authority’ in Joseph Raz, The Morality of Freedom (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1986), ch. 3, in particular his pre-emptive thesis; and the conception of ‘entrenched norms’ in Frederick F. Schauer, Playing by the Rules: A Philosophical Examination of Rule-Based Decision-making in Law and Life (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1991).
35. Feinberg (1986) op. cit., ch. 18.
36. Autonomy is understood in this way by Gary Watson, ‘Free agency’, Journal of Philosophy 72 (1975): 205–20
37. George Sher, Beyond Neutrality: Perfectionism and Politics (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1997)
38. Alan Wertheimer, Consent to Sexual Relations (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003).
39. Kimberly K. Ferzan, ‘Clarifying consent: Peter Westen’s The Logic of Consent’, Law and Philosophy 25 (2006): 193–217.
40. According to Heidi Hurd, ‘The moral magic of consent’, Legal Theory 2 (1996): 121 to consent is to intend the action to which consent is given; according to Larry Alexander, ‘The moral magic of consent II’, Legal Theory 2 (1996): 165
41. The example is taken from Douglas Husak, ‘The complete guide to consent to sex: Alan Wertheimer’s consent to sexual relations’, Law and Philosophy 25 (2006): 276
42. A. John Simmons, Moral Principles and Political Obligations (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1979), p. 77
43. John Kleinig, ‘The ethics of consent’, Canadian Journal of Philosophy 8 (1982): 93–6
44. Feinberg (1986) ‘The ethics of consent’, Canadian Journal of Philosophy 8 (1982): 93–6, ch. 22;Wertheimer op. cit., ch. 7.
45. Cf. Peter F. Strawson, ‘Intention and convention in speech acts’, Philosophical Review 73 (1964): 439–460, for a classical argument about meaning in general.
46. Govert den Hartogh, Mutual Expectations: A Conventionalist theory of Law (Den Haag: Kluwer Law International, 2002).
47. Govert den Hartogh, ‘A conventionalist theory of obligation’, Law and Philosophy 17 (1998): 351–76
48. John Hasnas, ‘Once more unto the breach: The inherent liberalism of the criminal law and liability for attempting the impossible’, Hastings Law Journal 54 (2002).
49. Margaret A. Sanner, ‘Two perspectives on organ donation: Experiences of potential donor families and intensive care physicians of the same event’, Journal of Critical Care 22 (2007): 296–304.
50. Govert den Hartogh, ‘Tacitly consenting to donate one’s organs’, Journal of Medical Ethics forthcoming.
51. Such systems have been discussed in both Germany and the Netherlands. See Nationaler Ethikrat ‘Tacitly consenting to donate one’s organs’, Journal of Medical Ethics forthcoming., p. 6.
52. Govert den Hartogh, Farewell to Non-Commitment. (Den Haag: Raad voor de Zorg, 2008), p. 128. (http://www.ceg.nl/data/file/Engelse%20versie%20Afscheid%20van%20de%20vrijblijvendheid.pdf).
53. Govert den Hartogh, ‘ “In the best interests of the deceased” ’ op. cit..
54. Such reasons could be provided by duties of rescue, cf. Cécile Fabre, Whose Body Is It Anyway? (Oxford: Clarendon Press 2006)
55. Govert den Hartogh, ‘Priority to registered donors on the waiting-list for postmortal organs? A critical look at the objections.’ Journal of Medical Ethics 37 (2011): 149–152, with further references.
56. Amitai Etzioni, ‘Organ donation: A communitarian approach’, Kennedy Institute of Ethics Journal 13 (2003): 1–18
57. M. D. Dominic Bell, ‘The UK HumanTissue Act and consent: Surrendering a fundamental principle to transplantation needs?’, Journal of Medical Ethics 32 (2006): 283–286. Presumed consent ‘dresses salvaging in the flimsy outer garb of the consent doctrine’ (Veatch, Transplantation Ethics, op. cit., p. 161, cf. p. 171).