Ethical Legal Dilemma Advanced Practice Nursing

Ethical Legal Dilemma Advanced Practice Nursing

Summary

In every civilized society there is an established framework of ethical and legal values that allow people to maintain the decorum of the society; however they may vary in an authentic and rationale reasoning of an act. Ethics is the set of social norms and values that drive one's behavior and enable humanity to distinguish between the right and wrong. On the other hand, legal values are designed to create an order and discipline in a society. Both ethical and legal reasoning may justify human actions, but on different backgrounds. Legality issues arise when an act of a person contradicts with the law of land or legislation. If an act is legal, it does not necessarily qualify the parameters of ethics and vice versa.

There is a broad difference between ethical and moral reasoning of an act or decision within nursing practices. Ethical reasoning primarily focuses on two main points including acts that may enhance other's well being and acts that may cause harm to other's well being (Paul & Elder, 2006). On the other hand, legal reasoning refers to reasoning about legal affairs.

As illustrated by the case, nursing profession is an inevitable amalgamation of ethical and legal implications that require a nurse to consider legal and ethical aspects before taking a final decision regarding the health and care of a patient. A patients request for an act of euthanasia is ethically wrong. In the legal euthanasia presents the case of intentional murder, which is a severe punishable act of crime. In the US, euthanasia is considered to be an abusive and illegal act to support someone in his death.

Legal reasoning to such scenario may base on the basic rights to freedom and independent living. In democratic societies such as the US, deployment of equal rights to healthy living and freedom may urge policymakers to denote mercy killing as a legal act. However, ethical reasoning will contradict with this justification because legality of mercy killing may give rise to criminal and terrorist activities within the society. On a social ground, legal approval to euthanasia may create a state of disturbance on a social and legal scale.

Moreover, nursing practices in such scenario of contradicting ethical and legal reasoning of an issue may deploy a state of fright. They will have to look into legal and ethical perspective of a patient's demand to create balance between their professional and personal values. Legality of such issues may cause nurses to preserve or exploit the situation and it may create blockade in their ethical practices (de Casterle´ et. al., 2008). However, they must understand the ethical complexity of their profession and strive to follow their ethical instincts instead of legal reasoning of an issue.

Ethical and Legal Reasoning Model

Advanced nursing practices are primarily based on the principle of responsibility, legal and ethical integrity, and accountability of nurses for their actions to deliver effective and safe care to patients (Fisher, 2011). Nursing is a profession that works ...