Helen, a social worker employed in a hospital, has a client who is terminally ill.

Read the following case study.

Helen, a social worker employed in a hospital, has a client who is terminally ill. Helen’s client, Caroline, asks Helen one day if she would be able to find her some information about the legal situation in relation to assisted suicide. She says that her sister has agreed to assist her to die at home but she wants to be sure that there will be no legal repercussions. She asks Helen not to tell any of the doctors or nurses about their conversation

Develop one plan for how Helen should act based on deontological ethics and another based on teleological ethics. Consider questions such as:

a. Identify Helen’s ethical responsibilities – to whom is she responsible? (clients, colleagues, employers, profession)

b. Does Caroline’s right to self-determination conflict with Helen’s ethical responsibilities? Why or why not?

c. Should Helen tell a doctor about this conversation? Why or why not?

d. What could Helen do to solve this dilemma? What tools could she use to help her decide what to do?

e. What personal and professional values might influence how Helen responds?