Clinical Ethics Consultation: Moralism And Moral Expertise

What kind of criticism does the term ‘moralism’ make? In this paper, I examine whether clinical ethics consultation is even moralistic, and the relevance to this question of the moral expertise of the clinical ethicist. More specifically, I pose two questions: why might clinical ethics consultation sometimes be perceived as moralistic, and does clinical ethics consultation ever require a certain kind of moralism? I begin by looking at the term moralism, providing an exposition of some relevant philosophical work. Moving to clinical ethics, I examine two concerns about clinical ethics, concerns at least partly underwritten by worries about moralism. I then address the issue of the perception of moralism in clinical ethics consultation, and suggest that the clinical ethics consultant’s moral expertise can (and ought to) reduce that perception. Finally, I examine the requirement of clinical ethics consultation of a certain kind of moralism, this in fact as a result of the clinical ethics consultant’s moral expertise.