Nurses’ moral deliberation in the child care process

ABSTRACT Objective: To understand the nurses’ moral deliberation in the face of an ethical problem involving breastfeeding. Method: Qualitative study based on the methodological theoretical framework of deliberative bioethics. Data collection was through a vignette-based interview and results were organized by thematic analysis. Results: Nurses tend to take over intermediate courses of action, although extreme courses of action are found as well. Final considerations: When they tend to take extreme courses of action, nurses approach decisions focused on the child welfare to the detriment of the mother’s need as a working woman.