JASMINE ERIKA L.

DO-OMA
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“A Virtue Ethics Approach to Moral Dilemmas in Medicine”

“A Virtue Ethics Approach to Moral Dilemmas in Medicine” article by Patricia Gardiner, published in 2003 in the
Journal of Medical Ethics, is an example of an innovative study of the role and place of morals and virtue ethics in
medicine and nursing practices.

While the majority of complex moral dilemmas are analyzed through the lens of consequences and the facts, the
author takes a different approach where virtue ethics play a key role in analysis and strategic thinking. In other words,
the author tries to make it clear to the audience that once the principles of a person or an organization enter a conflict
stage, there is always bias that forces an individual to choose the factors that should or should not dominate.
Considering emotional and moral elements of an equation, Gardiner turns to virtue ethics as a framework that
focuses on the character of a moral agent itself instead of being limited by studying the rightfulness of action alone.

Turning to the analysis of two different moral dilemmas, the author walks the extra mile to illustrate the ways how
virtue ethics can enhance different scenarios in such complex environments as healthcare. While the subject may
appear to be philosophical to a general audience, Gardiner approaches moral dilemmas as a general practitioner,
which makes her opinion less biased from a practical perspective. Still, turning to philosophy, the research article
studies the place of reason and analyzes the role of emotion on a daily basis. It allows the audience to see diverse
circumstances and apply their emotions in practice. An important role is given to motivation because a virtuous
person approaches a situation where internal attitudes, professional skills, and reasoning should come in balance.

The cases presented by the author, while familiar to most of us, speak of moral dilemmas in healthcare from a
different point. Even though Jehovah’s Witness case has a legislation element, the author speaks of a moral side and
virtue ethics. The same relates to the case of a doctor where professional judgment collides with anxiety, stress, and
personal experiences. What kind of a moral choice should be made? The article helps a reader to understand decency
and professionalism from a moral point that replaces consequentialism and deontology.

It is important to understand that Gardiner does not try to persuade a reader that virtue ethics is a superior solution or
the only way to deal with moral dilemmas. One of the differences with virtue ethics is that it recognizes emotional
constituents as an integral and important element of moral perceptions. It considers the role of motivation as
important to provide a space for unbiased human interactions. Finally, it provides additional flexibility and allows a
person to look for creative solutions in moral and ethically-complex situations where not all the parties involved can
be satisfied. The article makes an important call for every professional in the field of healthcare to look beyond usual
solutions used on a daily basis and implement such virtuous personal and professional characteristics as honesty,
courage, empathy, integrity, and an ability to follow one’s obligations and responsibilities in a natural way.