The Right to Intellectual Autonomy in Medicine

Sor Juana's fierce defense of women's right to education and intellectual engagement offers a foundation for healthcare justice: patients must have access to medical knowledge and the autonomy to make informed decisions about their care. This concept rejects paternalistic medicine where doctors dictate treatment without explanation or consent. Healthcare justice requires that individuals—particularly marginalized groups historically excluded from medical discourse—gain literacy about their conditions, treatment options, and rights. Sor Juana's own battles against institutional silencing illuminate how power structures deny access to knowledge. In healthcare, this manifests when patients lack clear information, when medical jargon excludes rather than educates, or when vulnerable populations are denied explanations of care. True health equity demands transparency, accessible education, and recognition of patients as intellectual agents capable of understanding and directing their own medical narratives.