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Nursing Ethics
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Guilty But Good: Defending Voluntary Active Euthanasia From a Virtue Perspective

Ann Marie Begley

School of Nursing and Midwifery, Queen's University of Belfast, 50 Elmwood Avenue, Belfast BT9 6AZ, Northern Ireland, a.begley{at}qub.ac.uk

This article is presented as a defence of voluntary active euthanasia from a virtue perspective and it is written with the objective of generating debate and challenging the assumption that killing is necessarily vicious in all circumstances. Practitioners are often torn between acting from virtue and acting from duty. In the case presented the physician was governed by compassion and this illustrates how good people may have the courage to sacrifice their own security in the interests of virtue. The doctor's action created huge tensions for the nurse, who was governed by the code of conduct and relevant laws. Appraising active euthanasia from a virtue perspective can offer a more compassionate approach to the predicament of practitioners and clients. The tensions arising from the virtue versus rules debate generates irreconcilable difficulties for nurses. A shift towards virtue would help to resolve this problem and support the call for a change in the law. The controversial nature of this position is acknowledged. The argument is put forward on the understanding that many practitioners will not agree with the conclusions reached.

Key Words: codes • ethics • euthanasia • medicine • nursing • virtue

Nursing Ethics, Vol. 15, No. 4, 434-445 (2008)
DOI: 10.1177/0969733008090514
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