Ethical dilemmas are those situations in which as Susca (2006) states "there is a choice to make between two options and neither option solves the situation at hand in an ethically acceptable manner". In such a scenario, the person choosing has to rely on his personal ethical guidelines or the societal guidelines in order to come up with a satisfactory guideline.
We often find ourselves in such scenarios, and we are compelled to choose between two options and at the same time it is required of us to uphold the moral norms of the society (Velasquez et al.,1996). It's doing the right thing even when it is the hardest thing to do. Here are cases of ethical dilemmas.
Health Information.
A doctor treats young patients and young adults. The patients he is treating usually don't like their health information shared with their parents. One day the doctor saw a 20 year old woman who has been suffering from series of acute depression, has a drinking problem history and the lady once told him that she has thought about committing suicide many times.
The lady told the doctor not to disclose the information to the family or anyone because the information would hurt them. The lady's mother always brings her to her appointments. The doctor has thought of talking to her mother but withheld since the 20-year-old woman asked him not to.
One day the doctor received information that his patient (a young woman) was admitted to the ICU. The doctor wondered if he should have spoken to the mother of the lady. The doctor could not talk to the mother due to privacy legislation but, on the other hand, the doctor should have ensured the patient's safety. The law may advocate privacy and information patients share with their doctors. However, if need and necessity arise the disclosure of the information is relevant. The doctors need to be professionals, and their professional judgment may be needed in such cases where the patients' health is at risk.