Palabras clave: autonomia; consentimiento informado; Constitución; derechos fundamentales; integridad física; respeto.

Abstract: this paper deals with the different ways of understanding the legal foundations of informed consent and their consequences. The main reference is the Spanish Constitutional Court judgment 37/2011, stating that informed consent is legally based on the right to physical and moral integrity, according to the European Human Rights Court case-law. Finally, it is concluded that the rationale of informed consent cannot be reduced to a question of respect for personal autonomy.