(WSJ) – Noelia Castillo Ramos was in despair. By helping her kill herself, the Spanish state destroyed her autonomy.

Advocates of assisted suicide present Castillo’s death as an exercise of individual liberty. They argue that choosing the timing of one’s death is a matter of autonomy, that one should be able to lay down one’s life at will rather than suffer through difficult circumstances. That argument has gained traction across several European nations, in Canada and in some U.S. states.

But autonomy means more than the presence of a choice. It depends on the conditions under which that choice is made. (Read More)