In this high-stakes scenario, the primary ethical principle is beneficence, prioritizing the patient's life, but it must be balanced against autonomy, protocol adherence, and minimizing harm to trust in AI systems. Proceeding without consent risks escalating the protest and eroding public confidence in AI healthcare, while upholding protocols directly leads to the patient's death, which is unacceptable. Negotiating with protesters via intercom offers a chance to de-escalate peacefully, potentially allowing Dr. Thorne access without breaching security, thus saving the life while respecting stakeholders like the protesters and hospital protocols; if it fails quickly, it still buys minimal time before resorting to other measures. The trade-off is the uncertainty of success and potential delay, but it avoids the extremes of certain death or unilateral action.