Informed consent is a core component of safe, respectful and patient-centred obstetrical and gynaecological care. It is an ongoing process that requires clear communication, meaningful discussion and respect for the patient’s values, questions and decisions. Barriers within health systems, clinical encounters and patients’ circumstances can affect how information is shared, understood and used. This may limit patients’ ability to ask questions, consider options and participate meaningfully in decisions.
Supporting informed consent requires respectful communication and clinical systems that make meaningful conversations possible.
The resources on this page are designed to support health care providers in strengthening consent conversations through practical guidance, communication tools and patient-facing materials that support shared decision-making in clinical practice.
Why This Matters
This work is informed by the historical and ongoing harms of forced and coerced sterilization, including harms linked to systemic racism, colonialism and discrimination against Indigenous, racialized and marginalized communities. These experiences underscore the importance of consent processes that are clear, voluntary, respectful, trauma and violence-informed and culturally safe.
Discussion surrounding Bill S-228 has further highlighted the need for clear and practical approaches to informed consent in obstetrical and gynaecological care, particularly for procedures that may affect fertility or permanently prevent reproduction.
The Emergency Consent Toolkit for Health Care Providers is the first in a series of informed consent resources being developed by the Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada (SOGC). Additional resources will be added over time, including clinician-facing tools for non-urgent, elective and procedure-specific care.
These materials are intended to complement clinical judgment and should be used alongside applicable legal, regulatory, professional and institutional requirements.