Which term describes uncertainty about moral duties or rights in a situation?

• A. Moral indifference
• B. Moral uncertainty or conflict
• C. Moral distress
• D. Moral outrage

Answer: (B)

Uncertainty about which moral duties or rights apply in a situation is described as moral uncertainty or moral conflict. This happens when you sense there is a duty or right at stake but aren’t sure which course of action is correct, or when competing duties pull you in different directions, such as balancing patient autonomy with beneficence or with hospital policy. This differs from moral distress, which is felt when you know the right thing to do but can’t act due to external barriers, and from moral outrage, which is anger about a perceived moral violation, or moral indifference, which is a lack of concern about ethical issues. So the term that fits uncertainty about duties or rights is moral uncertainty or conflict.