Medical law and ethics: spousal consent for sterilisation: practice question

A Forensic Medicine question in the style of the NEET PG paper. Answer it first, then read why the right option is right and why each of the others is wrong.

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Forensic Medicine · Medical law and ethics: spousal consent for sterilisation

Sample item

A competent 30-year-old woman is scheduled for tubal ligation. Her husband signs the consent form, and she is not asked. Whose consent is legally valid?

Original practice item, not a recalled exam question. Nothing here is recorded.

The answer and the reasoning

C. Her own, since a competent adult consents for herself

A competent adult must give her own consent to an operation. Spousal consent is neither required nor a substitute, and treating her without her consent could amount to assault or negligence.

Option by option

  • A. Her father's

    A parent has no authority over a competent adult.

  • B. Either spouse's

    Either spouse's signature is not a valid substitute.

  • C. Her own, since a competent adult consents for herself (correct)

    Correct. Only the competent patient can consent to her own operation.

  • D. Her husband's, since she is married

    Marriage does not give a husband authority to consent for his wife.

Source note: Original NextPrep sample item — pending expert review. This item is original practice material awaiting independent expert review, so confirm important facts in a standard textbook.

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Questions about this Forensic Medicine question

What is the answer to this Forensic Medicine question?

The best answer is C, Her own, since a competent adult consents for herself. A competent adult must give her own consent to an operation.

Why is "Her father's" not the answer?

A parent has no authority over a competent adult.

Why is "Either spouse's" not the answer?

Either spouse's signature is not a valid substitute.

Why is "Her husband's, since she is married" not the answer?

Marriage does not give a husband authority to consent for his wife.

What concept does this question test?

It tests Medical law and ethics: spousal consent for sterilisation in Forensic Medicine. Spousal consent is neither required nor a substitute, and treating her without her consent could amount to assault or negligence.

How hard is this question?

We tag it as an application question: it asks you to use a fact on a patient or a finding. The tag is our own editorial judgement, not an official difficulty rating, so read the reason for every option, not only the answer.

How should I study Medical law and ethics: spousal consent for sterilisation?

Learn postmortem changes with their timelines, and toxicology as poison, sign, test and antidote. Then use the flashcards and the other Forensic Medicine questions on this site to test what stuck.

Is this a real NEET PG question?

No. It is an original practice item (editorial status: sample, version 1). NextPrep does not publish recalled or leaked questions, and independent faculty review of this item has not been completed yet, so confirm important facts in a standard textbook.