Decline, saying you object to them going to the hospital

By declining the request, I am interfering with my friend’s ability to make autonomous decisions. By asserting my own opinion over his, I am, essentially, making his decision for him, disrespecting and patronizing him. Given our differences in access and his vulnerable status, this action seems an even greater violation of this value.

I am, however, respecting myself, and my informants, by being transparent about how I feel and making autonomous decisions based on my own values of preventing unnecessary biomedical interference.

Beneficence:
This value is tricky to assess in this case. If no other ride is found and the mother and baby suffer from complications during birth, this choice has potential to cause great harm to the most vulnerable community members. If there are no complications, the benefit of not needing a doctor for a successful birth and vindicating traditional birthing practices has potential to be of great benefit.

This choice does not greatly benefit me as a researcher because turning down requests does not place me in a favorable light and also violates the principles of reciprocity that I hold as important. I may be thought of as mean, trusted less and receive less communication of a personal nature, which may jeopardize my position and that of the research project as a whole.

Justice:
The decision violates the value of justice in that it may potentially put a vulnerable person in further jeopardy by denying access to medical care.

My Decision:
Well, although this was my most desired choice on a personal level, I did not choose this option. The violation of all three core ethical values made this choice too unattractive to me. As with all my decisions in the field, I needed to put my informants safety and desires before my own ideas. In this case, I feel strongly about the over-diagnosis of medical problems during pregnancy and the toll that has on the way women feel about their bodies. I resisted the urge to weigh these feelings more heavily than the other factors and values at work in this case.