Referencing John Stuart Mill’s harm principle, Tauriq Moosa argues in a new article on Big Think that a society is hypocritical if it grants some individual rights, but not others.

Take a look:

Just as we can live as we wish (with certain constraints) we ought to be able to die as we wish, too. …

Why then do we say it’s fine for a person to destroy his lungs, drive extremely fast cars, drink excessively, but not end his life upon his choosing, with his full consent, and painlessly? This is a violation of the very principle that allows us to live freely. We become hypocritical.

For reference: assisted suicide is legal in only three American states: Oregon, Washington, and Montana.