Personal autonomy – how far does it extend?

Personal autonomy should be defined first as to give readers a certain idea of what it really is in order to better apply it since many tempt to ignore it or just do not know what it is at all. In ethics, autonomy refers to a person's capacity for self-determination in the context of moral choices; therefore, the core idea of personal autonomy is to have personal rule of the self while remaining free from controlling interference by others. The autonomous person acts in accordance with a freely self-chosen and informed plan as the research has shown.

Despite the Section 16(1) of the Constitution of South Africa (part of the Bill of Rights), which states that “Everyone has the right to freedom of expression, which includes – freedom of the press and other media; freedom to receive and impart information and ideas; freedom of artistic creativity; and academic freedom and freedom of scientific research”, but no-one can write (or say) anything at all or anything they want about someone else without possibly infringing a right of that person as the individual (you and me) has certain common law safeguards. Nevertheless, people by ignorance or expressly tempt to extend their personal autonomies over others’ boundaries and overstep the law as some tempt and others do encroach others’ freedom by infringing the law.

People currently think that they are above the law because such law seems to apply only for a category of people and another category of people, seems to be protected by such a law as they are privileged and therefore do not care about others and even go far by doing things that could ruin the common interest of the county. That’s the reason why some of them tempt to extend, for not saying all of them do so, their personal autonomies as to encroach lives of others.

Therefore, the extension of personal autonomy of a person should be bound on his/her own limits as to avoid interfering in others’ space and this should also apply to institutions.