'Why is the expansion of individual autonomy necessarily always good?'

Anti-euthanasia protesters outside of the Houses of Parliament in London to oppose the End of Life bill.

Anti-euthanasia activists protest outside of the Houses of Parliament in London on Nov. 29

(Image credit: Leon Neal/Getty Images)

published 10 December 2024

'Is there a right to die? Don't look to liberals for an answer.'

Shadi Hamid at The Washington Post

The "assumption is that more individual autonomy is automatically better," but the "desire to extend and expand the scope of euthanasia doesn't seem to be based on any coherent moral framework," says Shadi Hamid. Liberals are "great at maximizing individual autonomy but terrible at explaining why some choices should remain off-limits." Most "liberal democracies, in their current form, lack the philosophical resources to ensure meaningful boundaries around such practices." The "stakes here go far beyond any individual country."

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American democracy "is at risk, but not because of actions by whoever occupies the White House," says David Millman. Only "27% of Americans ages 18-25 'agree strongly' that democracy is the best system of government," and this "directly endangers our most essential societal institutions." Gen Zers "need to get involved and change local government," and "we can only build back trust in democracy by actually using it to address the issues we care about."

Syrians "cling to a thin thread of hope amid the whirlwinds of chaos," but "now find ourselves caught on the anvil of a little-known Islamist group with ties to extremist factions," says Lina Chawaf. The "victorious rebels with their fiercely Islamist fighters make us confident that life in Syria will soon be free and stable." There has been "understandable joy in the streets of Syrian cities," but "are we just replacing one authoritarian government with another?"

Project 2025 "wants to reduce the federal level of involvement in education to zero, especially administratively, and leave the states — if not the parents — responsible for funding and controlling education locally," says Peter van Buren. If the "federal government lends money to individuals for a post-secondary education, taxpayers should expect those borrowers to repay." It is "important to see what effect it has on the education of our children and the future of our country."

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Justin Klawans has worked as a staff writer at The Week since 2022. He began his career covering local news before joining Newsweek as a breaking news reporter, where he wrote about politics, national and global affairs, business, crime, sports, film, television and other news. Justin has also freelanced for outlets including Collider and United Press International.