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Autonomy means respecting a patient’s right to make their own medical decisions, including whether to continue or discontinue feeding, as long as they have decision-making capacity and provide informed consent. This principle centers on self-determination and the patient’s values guiding care.

Beneficence focuses on acting in the patient’s best interest to promote well-being, which can align with a patient’s wishes but is not the same as honoring the patient’s own decision. Nonmaleficence is about avoiding harm. Justice concerns fair distribution of resources and fair treatment. When a patient explicitly chooses to continue or stop feeding, autonomy is the principle that best captures that respect for self-determination. If the patient lacks capacity, decisions should be guided by surrogate decision-making or an advance directive, but the underlying emphasis remains on honoring the patient’s preferences.