Consented

A physician’s bold critique of medical rape culture—and her call for a new model of care that centers consent and empowers patients

Medical culture has a problem with consent—and it’s not just a few bad doctors. That’s the conclusion of Dr. Zed Zha in Consented, a groundbreaking look at how the healthcare industry ignores patients’ agency and perpetuates violence.

Even the best and most caring doctors can fall prey to what Dr. Zha identifies as medical rape culture: a system of beliefs and practices that enable and normalize the violation of patients’ autonomy. Dr. Zha shows how this culture is historically entrenched—from the invention of the speculum to eugenics—and argues that we need a sea change in our healthcare system to stop repeating the same mistakes. She interlaces these hidden histories of medicine with first-hand patient stories and her own personal journey, identifying four key problems of consent within medical practice: 

Non-consent (“Doctors know what’s best for the patient.”)

Forced consent (“If patients are noncompliant, their voices cease to matter.”)

Inadequate consent (“Doctors can decide what patients need to know.”)

Contractual consent (“Sign here, then forever hold your peace.”)

This fundamental misunderstanding of consent robs patients of the right to control what happens to their own bodies, and can cause serious harm. Instead, Dr. Zha offers a radical new vision of medical consent culture—one that embraces collectivity, accessibility, and compassion. This provocative book will validate anyone who has felt ignored, gaslight, or violated in the doctor’s office and inspire those working in the healthcare system to push for change.

Author Biography

Zed Zha, MD is a board-certified family physician, author, and medical historian. A graduate of the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, she trained at the Mayo Clinic and completed a fellowship in Underserved Dermatology. A first generation immigrant from China, Dr. Zha is dedicated to migrant and immigrant health.

Dr. Zha is a fellow and faculty member of the AAFP and a frequent speaker at national conferences. Her research has been published widely, and her award-winning medical justice writings, including viral essays, have appeared in several major outlets.