In this acute emergency where delay guarantees death, the ethical principle of beneficence (preventing harm and saving life) must take precedence. While security protocols and informed consent are important, they are designed to protect patients, not condemn them to certain death. Dr. Nkrumah is present and can provide medical oversight, even if he cannot access controls. The protesters' actions, however well-intentioned, are creating an immediate lethal threat. Proceeding with surgery offers the only chance of survival, and in emergency medical ethics, implied consent is assumed when a patient faces imminent death and cannot provide explicit consent. The alternative choices either guarantee death (upholding protocols) or introduce significant delay with uncertain outcomes (negotiation).