- Voluntary Consent Is the Transcendent Principle -

"My view of government places trust not in one person or one party, but in those values that transcend persons and parties. The trust is where it belongs — in the people." (Ronald Reagan, in his acceptance speech for the Republican Presidential Nomination, June 17, 1980)

"Certain basic principles must be observed in order to satisfy moral, ethical, and legal concepts of medicine, including:

The voluntary consent of the human subject is absolutely essential.

This means that the person should have the legal capacity to give consent; should be so situated as to be able to exercise free power of choice, without the intervention of any element of force, fraud, deceit, duress, over-reaching, or other ulterior forms of constraint or coercion; and should have sufficient knowledge and comprehension of the elements of the subject matter involved as to enable him to make an understanding and enlightened decision."

The NUREMBERG CODE: FROM TRIALS OF WAR CRIMINALS BEFORE THE NUREMBERG MILITARY TRIBUNA…