There is little doubt that consent – be it blanket, broad or informed – is of central ethical importance in the context of medical research, including biobank research. Accordingly, much attention has been focused on developing appropriate consent models that adequately protect the interests of biobank donors. However, this focus risks overlooking important ethical issues in certain specific contexts that are not easily dealt with by a standard consent model.
Drawing on findings from a qualitative interview study with biobank donors from rural Pakistan in lieu of the Global Genes, Local Concerns project, we demonstrate how psychological, cultural and structural factors in this particular context may pose serious ethical challenges that are far from adequately accommodated by (and may in fact thrive under) any standard consent scheme.