Bioethicists have become very interested in the importance of social groups. This interest has spawned a growing literature on the role of the family and the place of culture in medical decisionmaking. These ethicists often argue that much of medical ethics suffers from the individualistic bias of the dominant culture and political tradition of the United States. As a result, the doctrine of informed consent has come under some scrutiny. It is believed that therein lies the source of the problem (...) because the doctrine incorporates the assumptions of the larger society. Thus, informed consent has been reexamined, reinterpreted, and even abandoned as unworkable. (shrink)