Does a person's autonomy have limits?
What will be an ideal response?
Suggested response: In this case, this causes us to question whether some decisions about life, or death, should not be made in any circumstance. So, with regard to suicide, while the right of the individual to take their own life is not illegal, common law recognises the importance of preserving life. This requires a delicate consideration of the importance of the right of an individual to autonomy (self-determination) and acknowledgement of the importance of maintaining life. In this case, it can be stated that Kerrie's decision not to receive the antidote treatment would clearly impact on her (by causing her death) but the question is: did it cause harm to others? Some may argue that it could also impact on the doctors and nurses caring for Kerrie as they were being asked not to administer the antidote. From this point of view, they were being asked to act in a way that was against their ethical principles of beneficence and non-maleficence. To help inform this, it is helpful to consider the context in which such situations arise and the motives for wanting suicide as opposed to continued life. Question such as ‘are there unreasonable burdens associated with continued living?' and ‘is death a more preferable alternative than continuing to live?' often direct thinking at these times.
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