| Course | PAC 415 Healthcare Ethics |
|---|---|
| Module | Module 7 |
| Paper type | Complex case analysis |
| Length | About 1,009 words, 6 pages |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| School | Aspen University |
| Program | Psychology and Addiction Studies |
| Updated | September 2026 |
Free sample paper for PAC 415 Module 7
Two Lives, One Decision: Weighing Several Principles for a Pregnant Woman With Opioid Use Disorder
Student Name
Psychology and Addiction Studies Program, Aspen University
PAC 415: Healthcare Ethics
Instructor Name
Month Day, Year
Two Lives, One Decision: Weighing Several Principles for a Pregnant Woman With Opioid Use Disorder
A composite 27-year-old woman, fourteen weeks pregnant, came to Cedar Hollow Health's clinic after an overdose in which a friend revived her with naloxone. She had been using fentanyl daily for two years. She wanted to stop for her baby, but she was terrified that entering treatment would bring a report to child welfare and the loss of her baby after birth. She asked whether she could just stop on her own. This paper analyzes her situation through several principles at once, since no single principle settles it, and describes the plan her care team developed.
The Principles at Stake
The case engages every principle of biomedical ethics (Beauchamp & Childress, 2019). Respect for autonomy concerns her right to make decisions about her body and treatment. Beneficence concerns her health and the health of the pregnancy. Nonmaleficence warns against harms from untreated addiction, from unsafe withdrawal and from punitive responses. Justice concerns whether pregnant women who use drugs are treated fairly or singled out for punishment. And confidentiality intersects with legal reporting duties. The principles do not all point the same way.
Weighing them is the work this case demands, and it cannot be done by ranking the principles in advance.
What Professional Guidance Says
Professional guidance is clear on the clinical question. Obstetric guidance recommends universal screening for substance use in pregnancy, done in partnership with the pregnant person, and for pregnant women with opioid use disorder it recommends opioid agonist pharmacotherapy with methadone or buprenorphine as preferable to medically supervised withdrawal, because stopping abruptly carries risks of relapse and overdose (American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, 2017). Stopping on her own, as she proposed, would expose her and the pregnancy to exactly those risks.
Autonomy and Beneficence
Her autonomy includes the right to refuse medication. Beneficence toward her and her pregnancy points strongly toward medication. The two can be reconciled through honest information: the team explained that medication was the recommended treatment, that withdrawal on her own risked overdose, especially after her tolerance fell, and that treatment during pregnancy is associated with better outcomes. The decision remained hers, but it was now an informed one.
Fear of Reporting
Her fear was realistic. Under federal child welfare law, states must have policies for plans of safe care for infants affected by substance use, and state laws differ on what must be reported to child welfare agencies and when. In many states, a mother receiving medication for opioid use disorder under medical care is treated differently from one using illicit drugs. The team did not make promises they could not keep. They explained their state's actual rules, that federal confidentiality protections for her addiction treatment records remained in force, and that engagement in treatment is usually viewed favorably in any child welfare process.
Justice
Justice requires attention to how pregnant women who use drugs are treated. Punitive responses, such as prosecution, can deter women from seeking prenatal care and treatment, harming both mother and child, and they have historically fallen more heavily on poor women and women of color. A just approach treats addiction in pregnancy as a health condition, offers treatment without judgment and connects families to support, consistent with the counselor's code obligation to serve clients without discrimination (NAADAC, 2021).
Principles and Plan
Each principle's demand, and the plan's answer to it, appears in the table.
| Principle | What it asks | How the plan responds |
|---|---|---|
| Autonomy | Respect her decisions about treatment | Informed choice; she decides |
| Beneficence | Promote her health and the pregnancy's | Offer buprenorphine or methadone; prenatal care |
| Nonmaleficence | Avoid harms of withdrawal, overdose and punishment | Avoid unsupervised withdrawal; naloxone; non-punitive approach |
| Justice | Treat her fairly; avoid stigma | Same access and respect as any patient |
| Confidentiality | Protect her records | Explain protections and legal limits honestly |
The Plan
She chose to start buprenorphine that week, with prenatal care coordinated between the clinic and an obstetrician experienced in caring for women with opioid use disorder. The team gave her naloxone, connected her with a peer recovery specialist who had been through a similar pregnancy, and, with her consent, began planning for the birth, including a plan of safe care prepared in advance. She was told what would happen at the hospital and who would be involved, so that nothing would come as a surprise.
What Practical Wisdom Added
No principle alone produced this plan. Practical wisdom meant seeing that her fear, not her lack of motivation, was the main barrier; responding to that fear with honest information rather than reassurance; recognizing that respect for her autonomy and care for the pregnancy could be joined through treatment she chose; and acting quickly, since each day of untreated use carried risk. It also meant the team examining their own attitudes toward pregnant women who use drugs.
After the Birth
Planning continued beyond pregnancy. The team discussed what she could expect in the newborn period, including the possibility that her baby would need monitoring for withdrawal symptoms, and the benefits of rooming in and breastfeeding while on stable treatment when her physicians agree. They arranged postpartum follow-up, since the months after birth carry a high risk of return to use and overdose, and made sure her medication would continue without interruption.
The peer recovery specialist proved especially important. She could speak from experience about what the hospital stay and the child welfare conversation had been like for her, which made the plan feel possible rather than frightening. The client later said that meeting someone who had kept her baby while in treatment was the moment she decided to stay.
Conclusion
A pregnant woman with opioid use disorder who fears the consequences of seeking help presents a case where autonomy, beneficence, nonmaleficence, justice and confidentiality all apply and do not all agree. Professional guidance supports medication over withdrawal, honest information supports an informed choice, and a just, non-punitive approach supports engagement. Practical wisdom joined these into a plan she accepted, which offered the best chance for both lives involved.
References
American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. (2017). Committee opinion no. 711: Opioid use and opioid use disorder in pregnancy. Obstetrics & Gynecology, 130(2), e81-e94. https://doi.org/10.1097/AOG.0000000000002235
Beauchamp, T. L., & Childress, J. F. (2019). Principles of biomedical ethics (8th ed.). Oxford University Press.
NAADAC, the Association for Addiction Professionals. (2021). NAADAC/NCC AP code of ethics. https://www.naadac.org/code-of-ethics
Reading the PAC 415 Module 7 assignment instructions
Aspen's PAC 415 moves from larger concepts to specific problems and complications, and a complex case that engages several principles is the typical seventh-module task. The seventh module's own prompt reaches students through the course, so this example takes up one such case in full. Choose a case in which principles genuinely conflict and more than one person's welfare is at stake. Name each principle and what it asks. Bring in authoritative professional guidance on the clinical question. Address legal realities honestly, including what cannot be promised. Consider justice, including how people in the client's situation are often treated. Build a plan that responds to each principle, and explain what judgment beyond the principles contributed.
How this PAC 415 Module 7 example is built
The paper opens with the woman's overdose, pregnancy and fear. It lists the five principles and how they diverge. A section summarizes obstetric guidance: universal screening in partnership with the patient and opioid agonist treatment preferred to supervised withdrawal. Autonomy and beneficence are reconciled through honest information. The reporting section explains plans of safe care and state variation without false reassurance. The justice section describes the harms of punitive responses. A three-column table links principles to the plan. The plan section describes buprenorphine, coordinated prenatal care, naloxone and a peer recovery specialist, followed by planning for the newborn period and postpartum follow-up, and a closing account of what practical wisdom added.
Where the marks sit in the PAC 415 Module 7 rubric
Complex case papers are graded on identifying all relevant principles, weighing them honestly, using authoritative guidance and building a coherent plan. This example applies all five principles and shows where they diverge before showing how the plan reconciles them. Its three APA sources are the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists committee opinion on opioid use in pregnancy, Beauchamp and Childress's Principles of Biomedical Ethics and the NAADAC/NCC AP code. Refusing to promise what the law does not guarantee shows integrity instructors value. Identifying fear, not lack of motivation, as the barrier, and responding with information and peer support, demonstrates the perception at the center of practical wisdom, and planning for the months after the birth shows the forward thinking a complete answer requires.
PAC 415 Module 7 help: mistakes that cost marks
A common weakness in complex case papers is naming principles and then choosing one to win without explaining why. Show how each principle shapes the plan. Another weakness is relying on reassurance where honest information is needed, especially about legal consequences. Use current professional guidance for clinical questions. Consider justice and stigma explicitly. Build a plan with concrete steps and people. Include what happens after the immediate crisis. Examine your own attitudes toward the client's situation. Because reporting laws vary, state which assumptions you make. The legal rules for infants affected by substance use are complex; a tutor or a librarian can point you to a trustworthy summary for your state, and you should say which state's rules your paper assumes.
Write yours, or have the desk draft it
This paper is an original model document written by our desk, not a submitted student paper and not an official Aspen University document. Read it for the moves, then write your own to the instructions in your classroom. If you want one built to your exact prompt and rubric, the first custom sample is free and arrives in 24 to 48 hours.
More PAC 415 and Psychology and Addiction Studies sample papers
- PAC 415 Module 1: Practical Wisdom in Ethics
- PAC 415 Module 2: Autonomy and Capacity
- PAC 415 Module 3: Beneficence and Client Goals
- PAC 415 Module 4: Justice and Access to Treatment
- PAC 415 Module 5: Confidentiality and Its Limits
- PAC 415 Module 6: Harm Reduction Ethics
- PAC 415 Module 8: Reflection on Practical Wisdom
- PAC 310 Module 6: Scope of Practice and Competence
- PAC 115 Module 1: Roots, Prefixes and Suffixes
PAC 415 Module 7 questions, answered
What does PAC 415 Module 7 usually ask for?
Aspen's PAC 415 moves from broad principles to specific problems and complications, so a complex case weighing several principles is a typical seventh assignment. Follow your classroom prompt.
Is buprenorphine or methadone recommended in pregnancy?
Professional obstetric guidance recommends opioid agonist treatment with methadone or buprenorphine for pregnant women with opioid use disorder, rather than medically supervised withdrawal.
Why can punitive responses to drug use in pregnancy cause harm?
They can deter women from seeking prenatal care and treatment, harming both mother and child, and have historically fallen more heavily on poor women and women of color.
Where can I find a free PAC 415 Module 7 sample paper?
The full paper is above, weighing five principles for a pregnant woman with opioid use disorder, with a table linking each principle to her plan of care.
How can a counselor help a pregnant client who fears child welfare involvement?
By giving honest information about the state's actual rules, explaining that treatment engagement is usually viewed favorably, protecting her records and connecting her to support.