CARAGAN, MAC CRISTIAN A.

BSN2-7
SEPTEMBER 12, 2019
The Principle of Solidarity
To be solid means to be firmly united. It follows that solidarity implies unity or fellowship,
arising from common responsibility and interest. Sense of solidarity or unity characterizes quality
standing of any profession like nursing. It relates to the ability of its members to organize and
standardize, the professional values of competence, autonomy, authority, and accountability.
Toward this end, there arises the need for a cohesive professional association to solidify
harmonious fellowship or relationship of its members who work together to meet the health care
needs of society. With the principle of solidarity, one-for-all and all-for-one policy is tall order.
Ross Ethics (Mappes and de Grazia, 2002: 24-27)
W.D. Ross is an English philosopher. In his book entitled, The Rights and the Good (1930),
he underscores his concern to provide a justifiable account of “cases of conscience,” or ethical
situations confronting people with a pervasive conflict or duties. Which duty take priority over
other pressing duties? To solve this dilemma and provide a defensible account of conflict-of-duty
situations, he deems it necessary to introduce the idea of “prima facie duty”. He, otherwise,
intends to call it conditional duty, which is, on its face, prevailing until overcame or overridden
have no single basis, but arise or sprung from several “morally significant relations” such as
nurse-patient, physician-nurse, lawyer-client, employer-employee, promisor-promisee, and
teacher-student relationship. Each of these relationships is the basis or foundation of prima facie
duty. Where one is faced with two or more competing prima facie duties, he/she has to make a
reflective, “considered decision” and come up with only one of these duties. This binding duty is
the actual duty.
Accordingly, Ross proposes seven (7) classifications or divisions of prima facie duties. They
are as presented in the table below:

Prima Facie Duties

Classifications/Divisions
1. Duties of fidelity
2. Duties of reparation
Description/Meaning Illustrative Examples
 Fidelity is related to the  Professional
concept of steadfast responsibilities/social
faithfulness or loyalty. roles of:
The duties include  Physician as
keeping promises, physician
honoring contracts and  Nurse as nurse
telling the truth. They  Teacher as
rest on the person’s teacher
previous acts.
 Reparation is the act or  A return the cellphone
fact of giving and says sorry to B, the
satisfaction or victim
compensation for  C admits cheating and
wrong or injury done. accepts punishment for
The duties include the same
rectifying the wrong
perpetrated, returning
the goods, wealth, or
any property stolen,
restoring the reputation

3. Duties of gratitude
4. Duties of beneficence
5. Duties of non-maleficence
6. Duties of justice
7. Duties self-improvement
of someone slandered,
and/or paying damages
for injuries suffered.
 Gratitude is  If one has provided
thankfulness or a desire quality service to
to do a favor in return. others when they are in
The duties rest upon need, the latter stand
previous acts of under a duty to
another person, and reciprocate service for
include beneficial the former when the
services provided by same is in need.
them. The principle of
reciprocity applies.
 Beneficence is the  To visit the sick, the
practice of doing good, prisoners, or the
or an act of kindness. victims of calamities
The duties include  To share one’s bounty
going or searching out to the needy.
to the needy and
making a difference in
their life.
 Non-maleficence is the  The duties of not to kill,
act of not doing evil or to inflict corporal
injuring harm to others. punishment, to commit
The duty includes not arson, and/or defraud
to make the condition others.
of others being worse
or difficult.
 Justice connotes just  If a nurse works eight
conduct, or giving and (8) hours plus overtime,
receiving what one he/she must receive
deserves. The duties the agreed legal
include fair distribution compensation plus
of benefits based on overtime pay. It is
merits, and rectifying giving what is due
unjust patterns of him/her.
distribution.
 Include the duty to  A nurse keeps on
make better one’s studying things related
character, mind, or the to his/her profession,
like by his/her own attends capacity-
effort. The divine building seminars, and
Provider helps those takes graduate studies.
who help themselves,
or the sick gets well if
he/she cooperates with
the health care
provider.
Major Bioethical Principle
Appropriate identification, analysis interpretation, and resolution of health problems or
issues are made possible and facilitated by way of reference to relevant bioethical principle.
Mappes and De Grazia (2002) suggested and came up with four major set of principles, namely:
1) the principle of respect for autonomy; 3) the principle of beneficence; and
2) the principle of non-maleficence; 4) the principle of justice