Individuals frequently face moral dilemmas in life, forcing them to make choices beyond their moral convictions and other commitments. The divine command and natural law ethics are the two main perspectives on how people can use their freedom to make decisions (Ben-Menahem & Ben-Menahem, 2020). The first holds that since God created the world knowing what would be best for people, humans must slavishly obey the divine laws and commandments. It is entirely objective to determine if anything is right or bad: It is right if God mandates it, and it is wrong if God prohibits it (Rachels & Rachels, 2015). According to natural law ethics, God created everything in the world with a purpose, which has the ultimate goal – to achieve good for man. Therefore, people can make decisions on their own, based on the principle that the main thing is to achieve the best result.
If I were in the described situation as a nurse, I would mainly follow the laws. In case there is a need to get parental consent for a blood transfusion, then I would not do it without such a document. Natural law ethics would say that morally right and good is what contribute to the prosperity of humankind, therefore, it is necessary to save human life. If everything is in order with the legal side and the only question is a moral choice, I would do everything to save the child. The parents’ beliefs are their business, the child is not the parent’s property, and the main thing is their life. I agree with what a natural law ethicist would say because the doctor knows the ultimate objective – saving a life and can take measures to achieve the goal.
The divine command ethicist in this situation would say not to do a blood transfusion because God forbids it. I disagree with this point of view, even if it contradicts the parents’ beliefs, because even from the religious side, a person has a value, and one must fight for life. An emotivist would say that my decision is based on the fact that I do not like members of religious groups. I do not like it when people die because, according to this theory, there is no morality – only an individual assessment of the situation. In ethics, subjectivity unquestionably plays a significant role because, when faced with a moral choice, people make their own decisions.
References
Ben-Menahem, H., & Ben-Menahem, Y. (2020). The rule of law: Natural, human, and divine. Studies in History and Philosophy of Science, 81, 46–54.
Rachels, J., & Rachels, S. (2015). The Elements of Moral Philosophy. McGraw-Hill Europe.