No Justice Without (Relational) Autonomy? Rethinking the Digital Empowerment Rhetoric

The current empowerment rhetoric that is discussed in digital health initiatives is problematic, Nickel et al. argue in a recent article that is published in this journal. They highlight social justice as a crucial value that should be re-engineered in this context. However, they do not take a stand on the relational meaning of autonomy. In this commentary, we instead claim that autonomy could better be conceptualized in relational terms as it brings into focus the importance of developing capabilities that can support self-determination. Such a conception of autonomy places greater emphasis on social justice concerns that mainstream bioethics tends to brush aside. Finally, we introduce the framework of Capability Sensitive Design as a better strategy to try to achieve empowerment through digital health.