Contrasting Ethical Perspectives and Ethical Decision Making in Midwifery
With Sophie and Nathan, Ethics & Professional Practice Specialist
Key Takeaways
- Rules tell you what to do in defined situations.
- Ethical perspectives provide the underlying reasoning — they help you navigate novel situations where no rule exists yet, or where rules conflict.
- Consequentialism judges actions by their outcomes — the greatest good for the greatest number.
- Utilitarianism is the classic form.
- Yes — it holds that some actions are inherently right or wrong, regardless of consequences.
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Full Transcript
Sophie: Today's topic is contrasting ethical perspectives and decision-making in midwifery. I'm Sophie, here with Nathan, our Ethics and Professional Practice Specialist. Nathan, what does it mean to take an ethical perspective rather than just following rules?
Nathan: Rules tell you what to do in defined situations. Ethical perspectives provide the underlying reasoning — they help you navigate novel situations where no rule exists yet, or where rules conflict.
Sophie: Walk us through the main ethical theories a midwife should know.
Nathan: Consequentialism judges actions by their outcomes — the greatest good for the greatest number. Utilitarianism is the classic form. It's useful for population-level decisions but can justify ignoring individual rights.
Sophie: And deontology takes the opposite view?
How is contrasting ethical perspectives and ethical decision making in midwifery applied in real-world midwifery?
Nathan: Yes — it holds that some actions are inherently right or wrong, regardless of consequences. Respecting a woman's refusal even when the clinical outcome is poor comes from deontological thinking.
Sophie: Where does virtue ethics fit in?
Nathan: It focuses on character rather than rules or outcomes. What would a compassionate, honest, courageous midwife do? It's the framework behind reflective practice and professional identity formation.
Sophie: And feminist ethics adds another dimension.
Nathan: It centres relationships, care, and power. It asks: whose voice is marginalised in this situation? It's particularly resonant in maternity care given the history of women's experiences being dismissed.
How does contrasting ethical perspectives and ethical decision making in midwifery work in a healthcare context?
Sophie: How do you actually make a decision when these frameworks disagree?
Nathan: You use them as lenses rather than algorithms. Consider consequences, consider rights and duties, consider character, consider relationships — and look for convergence. Where they all point the same way, you have strong grounds for action.
Sophie: And where they diverge?
Nathan: That divergence tells you the situation is genuinely complex and requires more conversation, more information, or escalation. Ethical discomfort is data.
Sophie: Reflection after difficult cases seems essential too.
How does contrasting ethical perspectives and ethical decision making in midwifery work in a healthcare context?
Nathan: Vital. Reflective practice — using frameworks like Gibbs' cycle — helps midwives process ethical encounters, extract learning, and maintain the moral sensitivity to practise well over the long term.