Case Study: Conscientious Objection and Professional
Responsibility
Nurse Amelia Brooks, a dedicated and experienced nurse at Riverside Medical Center, has always been known for her commitment to patient care. However, she finds herself in a moral quandary when Dr. Rebecca Martin, the leading obstetrician at the center, asks her to assist in an elective abortion procedure for a patient named Sophie Turner, a 24-year-old graduate student. Amelia holds strong personal beliefs against abortion due to her religious upbringing. She feels that participating in the procedure would violate her conscience and deeply held moral convictions. However, she also recognizes her professional responsibility to provide care without discrimination and to prioritize the well-being and autonomy of her patients. The principle of autonomy emphasizes the importance of individual choice and freedom. In this context, it applies both to Sophie's right to make decisions about her own body and to Amelia's right to act in line with her personal beliefs. The principle of professional responsibility, on the other hand, underscores Amelia's duty to provide care and uphold the standards of her profession. Balancing these principles is the concept of non-malfeasance, which emphasizes the commitment to "do no harm." Amelia grapples with what "harm" means in this context: harm to the patient by potentially denying care or harm to herself by violating her conscience
Instructions:
For this assessment, develop a solution to a specific ethical dilemma faced by a health care professional. In your assessment:
1. Select one of the case studies presented in the Assessment Supplement: Applying Ethical Principles resource.
Note: The case study may not supply all of the information you need. In such cases, you should consider a variety of possibilities and infer potential conclusions. However, please be sure to identify any assumptions or speculations you make.
2. Summarize the facts in the selected case study and use the three components of an ethical decision-making model to analyze an ethical problem or issue and the factors that contributed to it.
a. Identify which case study you selected and briefly summarize the facts surrounding it. Identify the problem or issue that presents an ethical dilemma or challenge and describe that dilemma or challenge.
b. Identify who is involved or affected by the ethical problem or issue.
c. Access the Ethical Decision-Making Model media piece and use the three components of the ethical decision-making model (moral awareness, moral judgment, and ethical behavior) to analyze the ethical issues.
- Apply the three components outlined in the Ethical Decision-Making Model media.
- Analyze the factors that contributed to the ethical problem or issue identified in the case study.
- Describe the factors that contributed to the problem or issue and explain how they contributed.
3. Apply academic peer-reviewed journal articles relevant to an ethical problem or issue as evidence to support an analysis of the case.