Ethical Dilemma

 Introduction

            Ethical dilemma refers to an intricate situation that always involves clear mental conflicts.  This is a difficult situation that an individual faces while trying to make decisions about what is right or wrong. Normally, individual are faced with various dilemma while try to come up with a final decision.  Ethical dilemmas are particularly difficult to solve. This is due to the fact that they often involve conflicts between various held beliefs. For instance, being a social worker I think this is a difficult situation that has confronted me during this internship. This is because it can impact a lot on my entire course. However, I believe that it will help me to prepare for possibility. This shows that it is essential for me to be in a position to know how to solve ethical dilemma that may arise in other situations. This means that I should be able to resolve ethical conflicts situation that may confront me in my professional as a social worker. Ethical issue or value challenge refers to a situation that requires an individual to choose between various alternatives that should be evaluated whether they are right or wrong. This essay will clearly discuss an ethical issue that confronted me during my internship. Additionally, i will provide different ways of resolving the entire ethical dilemma.

Identify an ethical or value challenge that led to professional growth.

            An ethical or value challenge in this case is dealing with the relationship between guidance and counseling profession on whether to tell the parents or visit abortion clinics. The abortion case involves a young girl who plans to terminate the unwanted and unplanned pregnancy. The young girl visits me since I am a social worker in the society. I am involved in an ethical dilemma on what to do between telling the parents or visiting abortion clinics. There are many legal implications that are involved in abortion. Medical issues are also of concern in relation to the health of the 15 year old who want her pregnancy terminated. Abortion is wrong since it is against Christian ethics and teachings. Social workers have skills and knowledge on how to deal with such ethical challenges in an ethical manner (Zastrow, et al, 2010). The rights of all the clients are upheld and respected but the individuals should respect the law even when making decisions that affect their lives. Abortion here is an ethical issue which is not supported by the guidance and counseling profession since as it is wrong according to the Christian ethics (Zastrow, et al, 2010).

Ethical consideration in the case of counseling

            Counselors are useful in giving advices that will help those who require their help make good and reliable decisions (Zastrow, et al, 2010). For example in the case of this 15 year old being a social worker, I should help the girl make the right decision which will neither affect her psychologically nor affect her parents. The counseling profession is guided with knowledge and skills which are useful in helping an individual make the right decisions according to the legal requirements. The ethical code guides the counselors and assists them to use their scientific skills in counseling the people. For example, being a social worker, I should show the 15 year old consequences of abortion by applying the scientific knowledge. The teenager should be showed the consequences of abortion and the advantages of saving the baby’s life using the scientific knowledge. Decisions made by the 15 year old should follow ethical standard and morals and should respect the law failure to which consequences must follow. The social worker should not have any other formal relationship between the young girl for example a teacher, parent and a guardian relationship (Zastrow, et al, 2010). 

Responsibilities and professional growth

The interests of the individual must be followed and thus confidentiality of the client should be respected as according to the ethical codes. I should not consult the parents of the young girl without her consent as a way of respecting the ethical rules and regulations. The rights of the client should be safeguarded and kept accurate and confidential (Rathfisch et al, 2012). The people not entitled to the information no matter how close they are to the individual should not access the confidential discussion. The counselors should enhance fairness and justice in their work and create a good relationship with the clients as a way to overcome challenges. The young girl should be taught on the risks involved and the requirements of the national laws. Professional growth is enhanced when the challenges experienced can be solved with courage and wisdom following the ethical standards and national laws (Rathfisch et al, 2012).

Highlight and discuss ways of resolving the ethical or value dilemma.

            In this case, where I am faced with the ethical dilemma of whether to look for abortion clinic for the girl or to tell her parent that she is pregnant, it is essential for me to evaluate different ways of resolving this conflicting situation. It is crucial to make a decision about which course of action is best or which is the best approach to resolve this dilemma. Due to the fact that I am a Christian, and normally we believed that carrying out abortion is unethical, it is essential for me to make an informed decision about this dilemma. The fact that the girl does not want her mother to be informed that she is pregnant, it is important to come up with the best decision that will promote the well- being of the girl. While resolving ethical dilemma it is essential for an individual to know his or her value. For instance, there are certain values that are set aside. In this case, where I have two confronting issues it is good to make a desirable decision. Normally, Christian does not allow abortion, as they perceive it as murder case. This shows that it is essential to know your entire beliefs. The second step is to select a model. This is where one judges actions by their entire outcomes. For instance, many things can result from abortion. The one who have aborted can die or can lack children ever in her life. This shows that it is essential to make ethical decision that will lead to preferable outcome. Many approaches are used to resolve ethical dilemma.

            The first one is utilitarian approach and it states that one should take actions that will produce the greatest ratio of good to evil for everyone (Jones, & Beck, 1996). It is essential for me to make decision that will bring the greatest benefit to the greatest number of people. In this case, I should alert the parent about the girl, as it will promote the greatest benefit. This is because when the girl will be encouraged to abort she can die in the process. Additionally, I can also be blamed for instructing the girl to carry out abortion. The other approach that I can also apply is deontology approach.  This approach states that a moral of an action depends on the basic nature of the action (Jones, & Beck, 1996). This means that if I decide to look for the abortion clinic I will violate this theory. This is because abortion is unethical action, as one tends to kill a living being. From the above, it can be evidenced that the best way to solve this ethical dilemma is to apply deontology approach that considers whether the entire action is ethical or not. In this case, looking for abortion clinic is unethical, as abortion is considered as an unethical behavior in a Christian perspective.

Research the ethical or value dilemma and present the issue as it is informed by:

Research

            Issues related to abortion have become a prominent area of research. This is due to the fact that there are various effects that are associated with abortion. When dealing with this entire dilemma involving whether to look for an abortion clinic for the girl to abort or whether to tell her mother, it is essential to figure out what different researches say about the entire action. According to research that was carried out by different researchers, it is evidenced that abortion decision can implicate to various impacts. According to (Edlund & Edlund, 2014), there is high chance of the woman dying. This means that instructing the girl to abort is not ethical as she can die in the process. Other researchers have been conducted in order to investigate various consequences of unsafe abortion. According to (Shahbazi, 2012), unsafe abortions carry a high risk of maternal mortality, accounting for more than 80,000 maternal deaths per year. This shows that looking for an abortion clinic for the girl is not good, as many researchers have prohibited the entire actions. This is due to the fact that there are many effects that are associated with abortion.

Practice

            The practice of abortion is viewed differently according to different individuals. Some people think that abortion should be legal which is wrong according to my belief as a Christian because it is murder against Christian teachings. The young girl should not involve her self in such irresponsible sexual behavior if she is not aware of the consequences. Abortion should not be the solution to such moral behaviors since it is viewed as running away from responsibilities and it lowers ones dignity (Berry, 2013). From the training I have undergone as a social worker, I should train the 15 year old on methods of sticking to Christian moral and ethos and taking responsibility as the right decision to make. The practice of abortion is common with many teenagers, which causes them psychological, mental and emotional traumas. Instead of such negative consequences because of abortion, the society should support pregnant girls instead of advising them to carry out abortions. Murder is a crime both according to legal and religious laws where individuals carrying out abortions can get harsh punishments. Social workers are important factor in helping teenagers make good decisions which will benefit them and the society. Abortion practice has had many negative consequences resulting to death of the mother and the unborn. If death is not resulted then the mother faces serious medical injuries which affect the mother in future. The reproductive health of the mother is affected which implies that the counselor should educate the girl on such negative effects of abortion. The girl should be informed that terminating the pregnancy might result to future infertility cases leading to family problems.

Human Behavior

            Human beings normally associate unwanted pregnancies with irresponsible sexual and moral behavior. Thus, the case of abortion is viewed as crime according to Christians and the law where it is not legalized (Dalton et al, 2013). There are many effects of abortion which are all negative in terms of health. The 15 year old should be educated on the negative implications of abortion by her counselor. Since the girl visits me as a social worker I should advice her to report the case to her parents and should help her do that in a professional way. The girl should be given clear examples of people who aborted and have suffered medically and mentally. I should give the girl examples of other successful teenagers who did not terminate their pregnancy. Abortion is wrong according to the national laws and societal laws. It is also wrong according to Christian morals and ethics where the girl should accept her responsibilities instead of committing murder (Berry, 2013). Abortion is legal to some extent if the mother’s life is in danger unlike in the girl’s case where she should instead ask her parents for support. Abortion is viewed as a virtue to lower the dignity of somebody according to the human perspective. People believe that since contraceptives are readily available abortion cases should cease where people advise others to use contraceptives instead of abortion (Dalton et al, 2013).

Social Policy

            Social policy encompasses the individual’s perceptions about the issue of abortion. Normally, people view abortion as an unethical behavior. This is due to the fact that it is not allowed unless the doctor wants to safe the mother. Many religious groups prohibit the entire practices. According to (Ogland & Verona, 2011), all Pentecostal churches in Brazil have a strongest opposition to the entire practice of abortion. Countries like Nigeria have permitted abortion only to save the life of the woman (Okonofua, et al, 2009). This shows that they perceive abortion as good only when the mother is in danger. From this perspective, it can be seen that advising the girl or looking for abortion clinic is not good as this can lead to some effects. This means that the best option is to alert her mother about the pregnant girl.

Discuss how this ethical or value driven dilemma influenced your professional development.

            According to my own perspective as a trained social worker, the ethical dilemma should be solved by doing the right legal and religious ethics. The parents of the girl should be informed on the pregnancy condition of their daughter. The ethical dilemma is a challenge to the counseling carrier since the rights of the girl should be followed and respected. If the girl does not want her parents informed on the pregnancy, the standards of counseling department  suggests that information to be kept confidential. Visiting the abortion clinics is illegal according to the laws and so according to my view; the girl should report the case to her parents as a way of prompting justice and professionalism.

Conclusion

            From the above point of view, it is clear to conclude that the best way of resolving this dilemma is telling her mother. This is because if the girl is shown the abortion clinic many things can result from that. For instance, the girl can die or the entire members will blame the one who have shown her. Therefore, while solving any kind of ethical dilemma it is essential to evaluate the issue at hand. This will make the person to evaluate whether the entire action is ethical or unethical and from there he or she can be in a position to resolve the dilemma.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

References

Berry, W. (2013). Caught in the middle. Christian Century, 130(7), 22-31.

Dalton, V. K., Xiao, X., Mullan, P., Danso, K. A., Yao, K., Gyan, K., & B. Johnson, T. R. (2013). International Family Planning Fellowship Program: Advanced Training in Family Planning to Reduce Unsafe Abortion. International Perspectives On Sexual & Reproductive Health, 39(1), 42-46.

Edlund, J. E., & Edlund, A. E. (2014). Contextual Effects on Abortion Decisions: A Brief Report. North American Journal Of Psychology, 16(1), 159-162.

Jones, R. A. P., & Beck, S. E. (1996). Decision making in nursing. Albany, N.Y: Delmar.

Ogland, C. P., & Verona, A. (2011). Religion and Attitudes Toward Abortion and Abortion Policy in Brazil. Journal For The Scientific Study Of Religion, 50(4), 812-821.

Okonofua, F. E., Hammed, A., Nzeribe, E., Saidu, B., Abass, T., Adeboye, G., & ... Okolocha, C. (2009). Perceptions of Policymakers in Nigeria Toward Unsafe Abortion and Maternal Mortality. International Perspectives On Sexual & Reproductive Health, 35(4), 194-202.

Rathfisch, G., Aydin, M., Dereli Pehlivan, M., Sivik Bozkurt, B., & Kaplica, I. (2012). Evaluation of reproductive health and sexual behaviors of university students: Case study from Istanbul. Contemporary Nurse: A Journal For The Australian Nursing Profession, 43(1), 47-55.

Shahbazi, S. (2012). The consequences of unsafe abortion : a qualitative study. Journal Of                        Advanced Nursing, 68(6), 1247-1255.

Zastrow, C., & Kirst-Ashman, K. K. (2010). Understanding human behavior and the social environment. Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole Cengage Learning.