Healthcare workers, including nurses, encounter ethical quandaries that need them to navigate while considering their convictions and moral principles. In addition, healthcare professionals need to consider and respect the patient’s ethical convictions while prioritizing their overall welfare. Nurses and healthcare workers adhere to four fundamental concepts in patient care: autonomy, beneficence, nonmaleficence, and justice (Hasselbacher et al., 2020). By using these concepts, healthcare professionals may effectively navigate ethical dilemmas and make informed judgments. This paper’s purpose is to summarize the chosen case study, examine ethical concerns, use the ethical decision-making model, assess the efficacy of communication strategies, and apply ethical principles to the case study.
Nurse Amelia Brooks is faced with a complex situation in health care ethics. Doctor Rebecca Martin, the chief obstetrician at Riverside Medical Centre, requests her assistance in performing an elective abortion on a 24-year-old graduate student named Sophie Turner. Amelia, renowned for her steadfast dedication to providing quality treatment to patients, is faced with a significant moral quandary as a result of her deeply held personal convictions against abortion, which are deeply based on her religious background (Hasselbacher et al., 2020). As the patient, Sophie Turner is positioned at the core of this ethical controversy, asserting her autonomy and prerogative to make choices about her physical well-being. Amelia’s ethical need to provide treatment without prejudice and maintain the benchmarks of her occupation introduces an additional level of intricacy to the predicament. Nurse Amelia Brooks struggles with balancing the ethical principles of autonomy, professional responsibility, and non-maleficence (Carvajal et al., 2022).
The primary people involved in this ethical dilemma are Nurse Amelia Brooks, Dr. Rebecca Martin, and the patient, Sophie Turner. By opting for a selective abortion, Dr. Martin highlights the significance of the patient’s autonomy, aligning with women’s reproductive rights and the safeguarding of bodily autonomy. Autonomy is crucial for maintaining women’s societal standing. As a patient, Sophie asserts that she should have the authority to make choices about her body, emphasizing autonomy. However, Nurse Amelia is facing a moral quandary due to her religious convictions. Amelia has a problem as she must navigate between delivering treatment and upholding her values despite the Conscience Protection Act allowing healthcare practitioners to avoid some operations that go against their religion (Apay et al., 2020).
The Ethical Decision-Making Model, comprising of three elements: moral awareness, moral judgment, and ethical behavior, is essential for comprehending the ethical predicament encountered by Nurse Amelia. Moral awareness encompasses grasping the ethical dimensions of a situation or topic, which is crucial for recognizing the consequences of one’s actions. Nurse Amelia and Dr. Martin possess moral consciousness, understanding the potential consequences that may arise if an elective abortion request is approved. Moral judgment entails meticulously examining the rationales and ethical factors related to the situation using ethical frameworks or theories (McCarthy & McGuinness, 2020). In this scenario, Nurse Amelia faces a delicate balance between her personal beliefs and her duty to provide unbiased treatment, which calls for a morally nuanced judgment. Ethical behavior is making decisions based on ethical awareness and judgment. For instance, Nurse Amelia’s choice to participate in the elective abortion process will be evaluated according to established ethical principles of autonomy, non-maleficence, and professional responsibility.
The ethical dilemma in healthcare arises from the clash between scientific treatments and religious perspectives. The example of Nurse Amelia exemplifies the conflicting emotions she experiences due to the contrast between her religious upbringing and her capacity to make choices influenced by her convictions. She must reconcile the requirements of her institution with her autonomy, which contradicts her religious background. The organizational connection also influences the ethical problem in the healthcare industry. Effective resolution of moral dilemmas necessitates the establishment of transparent communication and mutual comprehension among Nurse Amelia, Dr. Martin, and the institution. Nevertheless, the absence of transparent communication and information dissemination, coupled with the