Which principle emphasizes honoring individuals' autonomy and dignity?

• A. Beneficence
• B. Justice
• C. Respect for persons
• D. Nonmaleficence

Answer: (C)

The main concept being tested is respect for persons, which centers on honoring individuals' autonomy and dignity. In bioethics, this principle means each person has the capacity to make their own decisions and should be treated as a moral agent. It underpins practices like obtaining informed consent, supporting patients’ voluntary choices, and involving them in decisions about their care, while also safeguarding those with limited decision-making capacity through appropriate surrogates who reflect the person’s values. Beneficence focuses on doing good and promoting welfare, nonmaleficence on avoiding harm, and justice on fair treatment and distribution of resources. While all are important, they address different duties; respect for persons specifically foregrounds respecting a person’s own rights and values, hence it best emphasizes autonomy and dignity. For example, a patient’s choice to refuse a treatment should be honored even if a clinician believes the treatment would help, because autonomy and dignity require respecting the patient’s decision.