Suicide: The Acceptable Kind of Autonomy

Some insightful observations from Brendan O'Neill, writing for the Telegraph:

These days, the only time you hear the word “autonomy” said with any vigour, with heartfelt oomph, is in relation to assisted suicide. In every other area of life, the idea of moral autonomy has taken a beating in recent years. Parental autonomy is continually blitzed by know-it-all politicos and supernannies who want to subject mums and dads across the kingdom to parenting classes. Intellectual autonomy is undermined by ceaseless state intervention into the sphere of education and by the PC culture of “You Can’t Say That!” Individual autonomy counts for little in a world governed by long-nosed nannies and nudgers keen to police every aspect of our lives, from what we scoff to where we smoke. Yet when it comes to the desperate act of electing to die, suddenly autonomy becomes important again. You could be forgiven for thinking that the only right our betters trust us with these days is the “right to die”.