The nurse receives a prescription to begin a morphine drip for a patient who is to be taken off the ventilator, and to increase the infusion rate as needed to maintain the patient's comfort

Question

The nurse refuses to carry out the order because the morphine will depress respirations and the nurse believes this is equivalent to killing the patient. Which concept best describes what this nurse is demonstrating?
a. Moral agency
b. Morals
c. Bioethics
d. Clinical decision making

Answer 1

A
This nurse is demonstrating moral agency because the nurse perceives the difference between right and wrong, understands the abstract moral principle of right to die versus euthanasia, applies moral principles to decision making, decides and chooses freely that this action is not right for the nurse to perform, and acts according to choice. Morals reflect what the nurse was taught about right and wrong, but that is only one component of what this nurse is demonstrating. Bioethics is the application of ethics to healthcare, but this is only one component of what this nurse is demonstrating. Although the nurse is making a clinical decision, this is only one component of what this nurse is demonstrating.