Autonomy
Autonomy is the right of individuals to make decisions regarding their own healthcare regardless of what others think of these decisions (Evans, 2000). It is the right of self-determination (American Nurses Association, 2001). The Belmont Report clearly confers this right on all human beings as a ‘respect for persons’ regardless of age, capacity, or even imprisonment (National Institutes of Health, 1979). Individuals must be treated with respect for their personal healthcare decisions regardless of whether the healthcare provider agrees with these decisions. The principle of autonomy is violated when a practitioner dishonors patients’ rights to choose how they want their pain to be treated