In the present day, abortion remains a highly controversial topic in both developed and developing countries. While pro-life groups view this procedure as a murder and a religious sin, the supporters of a pro-choice perspective state that women should have a right to decisions concerning their bodies and lives in general. At the same time, while ordinary people have an opportunity to take this or that position, healthcare providers should consider both perspectives. This paper addresses the ethical dilemma related to abortion that occurs due to the confrontation of clinicians’ personal beliefs and professional duties and what registered nurses may do to resolve it.
First of all, as previously mentioned, an abortion-related ethical dilemma is created by the difference between a healthcare provider’s personal attitude to this procedure and his professional responsibilities. For instance, a clinician may be a religious person, and for him, abortion is an immoral action and a sin. However, from a medical perspective, abortion is health care delivery, especially if it is based on reasonable grounds, including a threat to a woman’s life. In addition, according to the ethical principles in health care, a patient’s right to decision-making related to his health condition should be respected.
Another case in which an abortion-related ethical dilemma may occur is the confrontation of a health carer’s duties and the law. In a considerable number of countries, abortion is prohibited on all grounds (McLean et al., 2019). On the one hand, guided by ethical principles of beneficence and a patient’s autonomy, a clinician wants to help as abortion is regarded as health care. On the other hand, this procedure will be regarded as a violation of law, and “physicians will be facing criminal and financial penalties” (Chotiner, 2022, para. 2). It goes without saying that according to utilitarian ethics, following rules is right as punishment may limit a clinician’s ability to help others. However, making this decision may be morally challenging, especially when giving birth is dangerous for a woman’s health.
Finally, an ethical dilemma may exist due to the law that permits abortion on reasonable grounds that contradicts its application. According to McLean et al. (2019), “according to the World Health Organization (WHO), each year between 4.7–13.2% of maternal deaths can be attributed to unsafe abortion” (p. 1). Thus, when a woman wants to terminate her pregnancy legally, and her reason cannot be regarded as a reasonable one according to the law, healthcare providers should refuse. At the same time, they should realize that “if they refused the woman a safe abortion, she would end up trying to self-induce the abortion or seek abortion from an unskilled provider” (McLean et al., 2019, p. 4). In this case, clinicians will be potentially responsible for a patient’s more harmful or even deadly complications.
There are different ways in which registered nurses may contribute to the resolution of this dilemma. When abortion is allowed on all grounds, and healthcare providers are constrained by personal beliefs, they should understand that a patient’s right to bodily autonomy should be respected (Chotiner, 2022). In this case, a carer should provide information related to the potential complications of abortion to ensure that a patient’s decision is well-informed. At the same time, ethical dilemmas on the basis of prohibited abortion are more complicated. In this case, nurses should cooperate with lawmakers and advocate for the permission of abortion on all or all reasonable grounds in order to avoid situations when a patient cannot be assisted due to legislation.
To conclude, abortion remains a highly controversial within the framework of medical ethics. Ethical dilemmas may exist on the basis of a conflict between health care providers’ personal values, a patient’s right to autonomy and decision-making and legislation if that prohibits abortion on particular grounds. In order to avoid them, registered nurses may provide all relevant information about the consequences of abortion for a patient’s informed decision or advocate for changes in legislation that create the confrontation of health care, people’s lives and health, and legal norms.
References
Chotiner, I. (2022). What ethical health care looks like when abortion is criminalized. The New Yorker. Web.
McLean, E., Desalegn, D. N., Blystad, A., & Miljeteig, I. (2019). When the law makes doors slightly open: Ethical dilemmas among abortion service providers in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. BMC Medical Ethics, 20(60), 1-10. Web.