Ethical Dilemma Analysis- Capstone Project Essay

Ethical Dilemma Analysis- Capstone Project - Essay Example Mountains of clothes and books fill the room, and a pervasive foul odor emanates from the house. The woman pleads with the author not to tell anyone about her condition or state of living. The ethical dilemma is, should one report this to the proper authorities or not? An ethical dilemma which could arise in my own field of study could be that a nursing home patient is having difficulty keeping his room tidy, and this is causing him to become overwhelmed in his environment. Although the patient pleads with the author to not tell anyone, should nursing home officials be alerted to this fact? These are ethical dilemmas because, on one hand, officials in authority should know about potential problems. On the other hand, the individuals have their right to privacy. This is a â€Å"right vs. right† dilemma because, on one hand, when one can harm oneself or others, authorities must know. However, the level of harm that an individual is causing may be negligible, so a patient’ s right to privacy is still a valid concern. Regarding values in this ethical dilemma, there are certain non-moral values at work here. Public health is not a moral issue—rather, if piles of garbage are going to cause a health hazard, then perhaps the woman should be reported to authorities. A moral value that is at conflict belongs to the utilitarian family, which means that calling the authorities would be beneficial for the woman as much as for the good of everyone (the public). In contra of calling authorities, Kant says, â€Å"Thus morality, and humanity as capable of it, is that which alone has dignity.†1 This woman has her dignity on the line by not having people on the outside know what her problems are. If they were to know the source of her problems is helplessness, her dignity would be shattered, as would her feeling of being independent. In support of the opinion that one should