Moving from Codes of Ethics to Ethical Relationships for Midwifery Practice

This discussion examines the emergence of professional codes of ethics, influences that shape contemporary midwifery ethics, and the adequacy of codes to actualize values embedded in the midwifery ethics discourse. It considers the traditions of professional practice, the impact of institutionalizat...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Nursing ethics 2002-09, Vol.9 (5), p.522-536
Main Author: Thompson, Faye E
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Australia
Bioethical Issues
Bioethics
Codes of ethics
Ethical Theory
Ethics, Nursing
Ethics, Professional
Feminist perspectives
Humans
Midwifery
Midwifery - standards
Moral Obligations
Nurse Midwives
Nursing
Professional-Patient Relations
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Summary:This discussion examines the emergence of professional codes of ethics, influences that shape contemporary midwifery ethics, and the adequacy of codes to actualize values embedded in the midwifery ethics discourse. It considers the traditions of professional practice, the impact of institutionalization on health care, the application of a code of practice as a recent addition to those traditions, and the strengths and weaknesses of codes of ethics as models for ethical responses. That is, it sets out to articulate and deconstruct existing frames of ethical response. The ethics of strangers (normative theory and abstract principles) are rejected as inadequate, and the ethics of intimates (feminist-relational ethics) are proposed as a more adequate guide for well-woman centred midwifery practice.
ISSN:0969-7330
1477-0989
DOI:10.1191/0969733002ne542oa