Moral Issues and Ethical Dilemmas

A moral issue typically deals with behavior and can be thought of as a situation that has a right answer and a wrong answer, based on the shared values established by a group or community. Right-versus-wrong issues can be readily solved if the shared values are strong and understood. However, these shared values have to be carefully defined. Many issues arise where the conflict is between two rights. These types of issues are defined as ethical dilemmas in which there is conflict between two or more right choices or two or more values.

Indicators of an ethical dilemma

there is no clear and simple choice
alternatives are unfavorable, because one conflicts with the other (or others)
principles conflict
questions cannot be answered with a simple, clearly defined rule, fact, or authoritative view

A well-known ethical dilemma is that faced by physicians treating patients with life-threatening conditions, who refuse care. The 1990 case in Ontario, Canada in which a doctor was found guilty of battery for saving the life on an unconscious patient illustrates the point. An emergency department physician gave a blood transfusion to an unconscious patient who had suffered injuries in a car accident and was in shock, even though the patient had a signed wallet card that identified her as a Jehovah’s Witness. Although the card was undated and had not been signed by a witness, it was held by the courts to have been a legal document, stating that the patient did not want to receive a blood transfusion under any circumstances. The doctor argued that there was no way of knowing if the patient had changed her mind in the minutes before the car accident and thus he was duty bound to save her life. The court found the physician guilty of battery, and to this date the court’s decision has not been overturned. This case is used in teaching medical students the law respecting a patient’s autonomy and preferences for their own body (Malette v Shulman et al, 1990).

In this case the doctor did what he thought was morally right, but the courts ruled that he acted incorrectly in not placing the documented wishes of the patient ahead of his responsibility for providing life-saving care. As evidenced by this outcome, ethical dilemmas are often difficult, and whatever decision is made has the potential to leave someone unhappy with the result.

Moral Issues

Established rules in schools define the code of conduct for students. These are usually determined and published as expectations of the students. The rules are generally followed, but without fail, some students will break the rules as outlined in the scenarios below. These scenarios illustrate that while some moral issues may be easily identified as dealing with right versus wrong behaviors, some may not be so easily identified and understood. A moral issue may be multi-layered and complex, although the behavior can be defined as right or wrong.

Scenario 1: In this slideshow, try to determine the right versus wrong issue, the shared values that come into play, and what you would do in this situation, before moving on to the resolution.

Insert Slideshow – Moral Issues 1

Was this issue resolved in a way that you anticipated? Did you think of other considerations not addressed in this resolution? Consider if you would do anything differently or in addition to this resolution before moving to the next scenario.

Scenario 2: In this slideshow, try to determine the right versus wrong issue, the shared values that come into play, the mitigating factors, who else may be in the wrong, and what you would do in this situation, before moving on to the resolution.

Insert Slideshow – Moral Issues 2

Ethical Dilemmas

As mentioned in the previous slideshow, a moral issue is defined as a right-versus-wrong issue. There are many issues that arise where the conflict is between two rights. These types of issues are defined as ethical dilemmas, where there is a conflict between two or more right choices or two or more values.

There are numerous ethical dilemmas that arise in school communities. In order to make effective decisions, an educator must be able to identify and distinguish between moral issues and ethical dilemmas.

Scenario: An Ethical Dilemma

Insert Slideshow – Ethical Dilemma 1

The assignment below reintroduces the scenario involving Dr. Raphael Smith, but throws in a few new wrinkles in presenting both moral issues and ethical dilemmas.

Assignment:

Download the Ethical Dilemma worksheet and read through the various scenarios it presents. Respond to each based on what you have explored thus far in this course and what your experience and instincts tell you that you should do. Create a response document in MS Word format (.doc or .docx), with a one page summary for each scenario, detailing your proposed resolution and the reasons for the actions you would take. Use the tool below to upload a copy of your completed work.