Nursing Ethical Dilemmas

Nurses Faced With Ethical Dilemmas Nursing is defined as the, “protection, promotion, and optimization of health and abilities, prevention of illness and injury,…the diagnosis and treatment of human response, and advocacy in the care of individuals, families, communities, and populations” (ANA). Nurses are supposed to give emotional support and proper care; however, it is important that they maintain their main priority of their job and professional ethics. Ethics is a set of moral values that help people decide what is wrong and right base on their beliefs. Nurses are faced with ethical issues daily that may hinder them with their nursing duties; the biggest issues they deal with are pro-choice versus pro-life with abortion, fidelity, and

Women choose abortions for different reasons, for example rape, incest, or just not being ready to take care of a baby. There are two sides to abortion which is pro-life and pro-choice. Pro-life means that people are fully against abortion no matter what are the circumstances, while pro-choice is leaving the decision up to the mother of the baby. The issue of abortion Antipuesto states, “[Is] one of the most ethical dilemmas the society is facing for decades”. Some nurses feel comfortable with giving abortions while others do not due to religion or their personal beliefs. In an interview with Mrs. Loretta Marshall, a RN of nine years, when asked the question “ How to handle a request you disagree with” she responded, “ If I am completely against something, such as giving an abortion drug, I can always ask a coworker who is more open to it. I just remember it is the patients’ choice”. A nurse is entitled to their beliefs and opinion, but their main priority is to make sure that the patient comes first; but if they have a problem with something they can always get another nurse who feels more comfortable with doing the

An example of autonomy versus beneficence comes into action when the religious faith the Jehovah Witness refuses blood transfusions. The autonomy of this scenario is that the Jehovah Witness faith does not believe in blood transfusions and some even turned this situation into a legal matter when the beneficence of doing a blood transfusion is the key to saving their life. No matter what one in the medical field thinks may be the best option for the patient, they have to honor a patient’s autonomy. When it comes to prescription medication, patients can have these same views. Patients’ have the right to take the medication that they are prescribe or stop and not take the medication if they see that it is doing more harm than good. Nurses are seen as staff that are under doctors and that they should follow the doctor orders. However, it is important that a nurse double check behind a doctor to make sure that they give out the right prescription and dosage, “I had to argue with a doctor one time that was giving a patient an excessive dose of pain medication so much in fact she quit breathing and would fall. She was a prior nurse that had worked for this doctor for many years... It was a hard situation I had to suggest they change doctors. It was a very touchy subject” (Marshall). A nurse even a doctor