In 2002, the eighty-six-year-old war hero Admiral Chester W. Nimitz Jr., in a suicide pact with his eighty-nine-year-old wife, ended his life with an overdose of sleeping pills. According to a news report, "Having lost 30 pounds from a stomach disorder, suffering from congestive heart failure and in constant back pain, the admiral had been determined to dictate the hour of his death. His wife, who suffered from osteoporosis so severe her bones were breaking, had gone blind. She had no desire to live without her husband." Assuming this is an accurate account of Admiral Nimitz's motivations, to what moral principle did he appeal to justify taking his own life?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The admiral's decision to dictate the hour of his death, despite his and his wife's health conditions, appeals to the principle of autonomy, which is the right to make decisions about one's own life and body.

In 2002, the Eighty-Six-Year-Old War Hero Admiral Chester W