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92275 Ethics and Law in Midwifery Practice

UTS: Nursing, Midwifery and Health: Undergraduate Nursing Programs
Credit points: 6 cp

Subject level: Undergraduate

Result Type: Grade and marks

Handbook description

The professional education of a midwife requires an understanding of human value systems. This subject specifically explores two of these systems, the ethical and legal and spheres and interactions, both complementary and conflicting, specifically in relation to midwifery practice. The development of human values (personal, professional and institutional) are examined and the meaning and role of ethics in the profession life of a midwife is explored. This will provide a foundation for discussion and analysis of the many controversial questions with which midwives are intimately and inexorably involved. The law and legal frameworks are examined and the value systems embodied in these structures are exposed. The role of the law and the role of the midwife in the law are studied.

Subject objectives/outcomes

On successful completion of this subject students should:

  1. appreciate the relevance of a sound understanding of law, ethics, and their interrelations for professional midwifery practice (ANMC competencies: 1 and 11)
  2. have an informed and critical approach to the identification and evaluation of ethical dimensions and issues in midwifery practice (ANMC competencies: 11 and 12)
  3. be knowledgeable about the variety and complexity of legal responsibilities in midwifery practice, and about the rationale for the legal framework of practice (ANMC competencies: 1 and 2).

Content

This subject addresses basic themes and issues regarding legal and ethical dimensions of midwifery practice. The content has been designed to ensure that students are provided with an introduction to those aspects of law and ethics which are essential to a sound preparation for professional practice.

Ethics:

  • Principles, codes and ethics
  • Autonomy and paternalism
  • Harm — to self, to others
  • Truthfulness and deception
  • Confidentiality and privacy
  • Cases for discussion
  • Lifestyle issues: breastfeeding, drug use, recreational involvement
  • Tensions between professional expertise, client preference
  • Reproductive technology: some ethical implications

Law:

  • Regulation of midwifery practice
  • Trespass to the person: assault and battery, consent, false imprisonment
  • Negligence
  • Criminal law: harm in pregnancy; abortion
  • Assisted reproduction; surrogacy