Onora O'Neill suggests that the conceptions of individual autonomy (so widely relied on in bioethics) are philosophically and ethically inadequate; they undermine rather than support relationships based on trust. Her arguments are illustrated with issues raised by such practices as the use of genetic information by the police, research using human tissues, new reproductive technologies, and media practices for reporting on medicine, science and technology. The study appeals to a wide range of readers in ethics, bioethics and related disciplines.

Onora O'Neill认为，个体自主的概念（在生物伦理学中如此广泛地依赖）在哲学和伦理上都是不充分的；他们破坏而不是支持基于信任的关系。她的论点可以通过警察使用遗传信息、利用人体组织进行研究、新的生殖技术以及媒体报道医学、科学和技术的做法所提出的问题加以说明。这项研究吸引了伦理学、生命伦理学和相关学科的广泛读者。