Final answer:
A 17-year-old married woman, although a minor, is considered emancipated and can legally consent to her own medical treatment due to her marital status. Thus, she does not require her spouse's consent for medical procedures in most jurisdictions.
Step-by-step explanation:
In the scenario where a 17-year-old married woman arrives at the emergency department of a hospital with an injured arm, the question of who must consent to any treatment arises because she is still considered a minor. Generally, anyone under the age of 18 is not deemed competent to provide consent for medical treatment on their own. However, marriage is one of the circumstances that can emancipate a minor.
An emancipated minor is a person under the age of majority that gains the legal rights of adults, including the right to consent to medical treatment. Given the provided choice that the spouse must consent, it's important to clarify that if the 17-year-old is legally married, she is likely emancipated, and thus, she would have the legal capacity to consent to her own medical treatments without the need for her spouse or anyone else to consent on her behalf. Therefore, the spouse would not be required to provide consent because the patient herself, being both a minor and emancipated through marriage, can legally consent to her own treatment.