Ethics in Nursing: Case Study

Running Head: ETHICS IN NURSING
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Ethics in Nursing: Case Study
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ETHICS IN NURSING 2
Ethics in Nursing: The Case Study of Gretchen Sears
In accordance with the American Nursing Association, the nurse ought to practice
nursing with respect and due dignity in relation to the individual attributes of the patient. The
primary commitment of the nurse should be accorded to the patient. In the case study provided,
the moral issue and ethical concept revolve around the Authority of the Physician (Katzman,
1989)This is a unique case in which the dilemma occurs as a result of the contradicting nurse’s
ethical beliefs and the ethical commitments of the pediatrician and obstetrician.
In this case, the nurse experiences tension between different moral authorities, from Mr.
Barnes and obstetrician. Mr. Simmons is totally convinced of the moral requirements of the
situation at hand, though he is in a state of ambivalence. This is because probably he is a
religious man and the religious beliefs and professional standards seem to differ. He seems to
draws his formed moral authority from, his professional commitment as a registered nurse,
religious belief and convictions, philosophical opinion and viewpoint as well as other sources.
Due to the provision, 2 of the American Nursing Association, (Epstein, & Turner, 2015)
Simmons primary and key commitment and concern is towards the patient, in this case, the
infant born prematurely.
Contrary, Dr. Frank Barnes arrives at a different conclusion; he decisively opts to let Mrs.
Sears’s infant die without the knowledge of Gretchen sears who happens to be the mother. As
for Dr. Barnes, he thinks that it is ethically acceptable of him to decide whether the baby lives or
dies. ( Larcher, et al, 2015) He may have arrived at such a conclusion due to the thought that the
cost of medical support to the premature infant is unaffordable to the parents, the parents lack the

ETHICS IN NURSING 3
skill and knowledge on upbringing of the child, the little girl may hardly survive, and in case of
survival, the newborn may be severely handicapped.
Yet it is important for Dr. Barnes to understand that health is a universal right and the
focus should be in advancing health even in extreme and complex cases. (Cohen, & Ezer, 2013) I
understand that to Dr. Barnes, quality of life is more important than just life that is what guides
treatment process and decisions made. As a doctor, it is responsible to consider and think of the
intended quality of life of your patient. But we all agree that ethically, end of life decisions are
for the patients to make not the doctors. It is important to allow room for consideration that
some clients will just need more time to live and survive, regardless of the quality of life.
(Dionne, & d’Agincourt-Canning, 2015) There is a possibility that this child would have
survived and become an adult, and despite being handicapped, still, appreciate the chance to live.
People have different viewpoints, and probably the parents would have opted for their newborn
baby to live no matter what it takes. It is ethical for parental consent to be sought where possible.
In this case, it is unethical to overrule parental consent. Dr. Barnes assumed full responsibility
for the child and went ahead to remove life support, ventilation support and making an end of life
decisions. Dr. Barnes decides to inform the parents only after instructing the neonatal nurse
(Simmons) to make the infant comfortable and alert him once she dies.
The statement by Dr. Barnes that these parents lack the relevant skills and resources to
raise the child with such complications might be true but still based on assumption. It is
incompetent to base one's argument and decisions on an assumption. Dr. Barnes states that the
young parents will get more other babies. This is lack of etiquette, it is unprofessional and an
unethical code of conduct. No child replaces another and child loss is not a trivial matter, all life
matter.