Law Versus Ethics

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The conflict between law and ethics has been a topic of debate since time immemorial. Today, the debate rages on especially with the issues like abortion, euthanasia, gay marriages which highlight the contention between ethics and law. Is it ethically justified to administer euthanasia to a suffering person who his family or the patient requests for it? Is abortion ethically justified because it is legal? Is gay marriage illegal and wrong because the society and the law say so? These among many are just few examples of the many conflicts that surround law and ethics and they are yet to be answered as the debate rages on. Nowadays, many people take it for granted that law and ethics are entwined. In fact, the two concepts are substantially different, and have been at odds in many situations. Law is defined as a set of universal and reliable rules that are usually published, generally accepted, and enforced. These rules are set to govern the behaviors of people in the society in addition to defining what is to be done. On the other hand, ethics is the principle that governs what is morally good or wrong. As much as law and ethics are totally different, there is a relationship between the two.
There is a relationship between law and ethics. In some cases, ethics and law overlap because, what is perceived as unethical is also illegal. In other occasions, they do not overlap because, what is considered to be ethical can be illegal and what is considered to be legal can be unethical. A behavior can be considered to be ethical, but according to the law, the behavior is illegal. Legal and ethical principles are generally closely related, but ethical obligations typically surpass the legal duties.
The conflict between law and ethics come...

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...xists conflict between law and ethics, but professionalism is required in the nursing profession. The lawful duty of nurses is parallel to the ethical responsibility in both cases as they are legally required to uphold standards of care, hold on to ethical, moral and legal standards ,and maintain accountability for safe patient practices in their workplace.

Works Cited

Michael, D. (2014). The Role of the American Nurses Association Code in Ethical Decision Making. Nursing Center.com. .http://www.nursingcenter.com/lnc/static?
Ogata, S. (2010). Legal, Ethical, and Political Issues in Nursing. Critical Care Nurse Journal, 25.5, 72.
Beech, M. (2007). Confidentiality in Health Care: Conflicting Legal and Ethical Issues. Nursing Standard, 21.21, 42-46.
Scales, K. (2009) Intravenous therapy: the legal and professional aspects of practice. Nursing Standard 23.33, 51-57.

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