Respect for Human Dignity in Nursing: Philosophical and Practical Perspectives

Abstract

Since its first publication in 1976, the Code for Nurses with Interpretive Statements has provided guidelines for explicating the "moral obligations" of professional nurses (American Nurses Association [ANA], 1985). The American Nurses Association is currently drafting a new version of the code (ANA, Code of Ethics Project Task Force, 1999). In both documents the first ethical duty of all nurses in the profession is to show respect for human dignity (ANA, 1999): The nurses, in all professional relationships, practice with compassion and respect for the inherent dignity, worth and uniqueness of every individual, unrestricted by considerations of social or economic status, personal attributes, or the nature of health problems, (p. 4) A number of phrases are used in the five interpretive statements of this duty, the first of which is "respect for human dignity." Inherent in this phrase is respect for worth and human rights. Such phrases are replete within moral philosophy yet can also be found in other disciplines, including jurisprudence, religion, medicine, and the humanities. The actual definition of a word such as dignity is often not as meaningful as how it is perceived and used. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the use of the word dignity by examining selected moral philosophical epis-temologies, dictionary meanings, current literature, and perceptions of students in nursing programs at the baccalaureate, master's, and doctoral levels. Based on the discussion of these four sources of ethical knowing, possibilities for future analysis of respect for human dignity are offered that suggest that this concept is underdeveloped if investigated only scientifically. It is concluded that such respect for human dignity can be viewed as a practical art, enhanced through praxis, conducive to dialogue among nursing professionals, and broader both ontologically and epistemologically than a principle in a code of ethics.