Question

If the right to autonomy is the right to make your own free and deliberate choices, and what limits do you think there must be on that right? Does the right to autonomy literally allow us to do anything we want?

Answer 1

Right to autonomy helps to take decisions as per our choices and live a life as per our wish. Though it is the capacity to make decisions without being influenced by any other external forces, we cannot take any decisions we want. There must be certain limits to ensure the protection of the right of other people in the society and ethical behavior. One of them is morality. Before selecting any choices, we should analyze whether the choice allows the person to perform his/her moral duty towards other people in the society or not. If the action or choice leads to an immoral or unethical action, such choices should be avoided by the individual. Another limitation is the influence of the relationships in life. We cannot take any decisions without considering our personal relationships. They have great influence on our daily life and the choice should not negatively impact our relationships. Another limitation is that the choice must be legal. We are not authorized to make any decisions that violate laws. Laws are there to ensure the well-being of the society and every citizen has the duty to make choices without violating laws. Hence the right to autonomy does not literally allow us to do anything we want based on these limits. In order to live a social life, we should make our choices carefully.