Competency One: Demonstrates Ethical and Professional Behavior

Evidence #1: Philosophy Euthanasia Reflection

In my sophomore Philosophy class we explored ethics and morality, and reflected on our

human perception of these concepts. The course focused on a couple of topics that were

controversial to engage students in conversations about values and ethics. The final topic

centralized on Euthanasia so as a class we reviewed literature and watched movies to develop an

understanding of the issue. Our final assignment was to choose a stance on the controversial

topic of Euthanasia; in support of its use or rejecting its role in health care industries. Through

research collected in the class’ curriculum I developed a thesis on the matter, and used the

evidence to support my opinion. Although this reflection is research based it is merely an

opinion, and a reflection of best practice in human service fields.

The task of reflecting on the use of Euthanasia resonates with the second practice

behavior of competency one in which I utilized reflection and self-regulation to manage

personal values to formulate a stance on the ethical matter. In my reflection I identified

opposing positions to my supportive stance of euthanasia. However I acknowledged that my

opinion derives from my values, and it’s not a universal approach. Elaborating on the varying

opinions the public have in regards to euthanasia, I made a claim that the choice of euthanasia

can only be made by the individual faced with this end of life option. Reflecting on this concept

of prioritizing the opinion of the impacted individual, I explained, “We have difficulty truly

understanding such a position because we never even contemplate it, let alone empathize for it”

(1). This quote reflects NASW ethics by respecting client’s self-determination as outlined by

Code 1.02 Self-Determination.

 Utilizing the code of ethics in my reflection of euthanasia fulfills practice behavior two of

core competency one, to make ethical decisions by applying the standards of the NASW

Code of Ethics, relevant laws and regulations, models for ethical decision-making, ethical

conduct of research, and additional codes of ethics as appropriate to context. To make a

stance on this topic I was informed by the NASW code of ethics to prioritize the self-

determination of the client as being the ethically sound outcome. Other codes adhered to within

in this reflection would be 1.05 Cultural Awareness and Social Diversity. This ethical code

informed my position of extraneous variables, such as religion and culture that would impact my

position as well as the individual effected. In recognition of circumstances that could impact my

position I utilized code of 1.14 Client Who Lack Decision-Making Capacity to inform my stance.

I explained that the decision made by the worker must reflect the individual’s self-identified

interests.

In conclusion I had the task of reflecting on my values, and to formulate a stance through

this reflection. In corporation with my values I utilized the NASW code of ethics by

incorporating concepts of client self-determination and cultural considerations to inform my

stance. The purpose of this assignment is to identify how to use technology, such as euthanasia,

ethically as outlined by competency one’s fourth practice behavior. All of the above

considerations included in competency one are essential to implementing an ethically sound

intervention. Therefore these considerations are not exclusive to ethically controversial

interventions but are relevant to all interventions to ensure best practice.