Deontological Vs. Teleological Ethics

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Deontological vs. Teleological Ethics Suppose you are working as a respiratory therapist and have been paged to the ICU (intensive care unit) to provide a breathing treatment for a patient. The patient is a 31 year old male who has been in a serious car accident and is suffering from a concussion, severe head and neck lacerations and several broken bones. He has just come out of an intensive surgical procedure and just now alert enough to receive your treatment. The nurse told you that his daughter and wife were killed in the accident and the decision has been made not to tell him about their deaths for ‘his own good’. The staff has agreed to tell him when he is more physically and mentally stable. As you walk into the patient’s room, he immediately asks you about his wife and daughter. 1. What do you say? a) From a Deontological standpoint, what do you say? Why? A Deontological theory states that at least some actions are right and wrong, therefore we have an obligation to perform them or refrain from performing them, without consideration of the consequences. This theory follows the belief that our actions should be universal which means that everyone would act the same way with the same set of circumstances. It would be difficult to decide what to say, because I would want to be told the truth but would also want the best end result. The patient will find out about their deaths whether I tell him now or not. If I am not to consider the consequences, I would tell the patient about his wife and daughter dying in the accident. b) From a Teleological standpoint, what do you say? Why? A teleological theory asserts that an action is right or wrong depending on whether it produces good or bad consequences. Since the staff has agreed that telling him that his wife and daughter died in the car accident when he is more physically and mental stable is the

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