Barbara Russell
"Heteronomy," a Greek word, means being ruled or governed by others. "Autonomy," on the other hand, means being self-governed. In The Perversion of Autonomy: Coercion and Constraints in a Liberal Society (2003), bioethicists Willard Gaylin and Bruce Jennings describe the typical use of the term autonomy as "perverted" to convey how distorted the ethically important principle of autonomy has become -- likely unintentional, but distorted nonetheless. Gayling and Jennings are also concerned about the tendency for individual autonomy to trump other liberal and communal values associated with health care, including that provided for adolescents.
Continue reading Relational autonomy: Its value for adolescents and their families.
