Suppose I'm a nurse, while checking a fetus accidentally discover the husband isn't the father. Should I tell

Question

I accidentally found out about the parenting results; the tests were intended to check the fetus’s health. I don't believe I have the right to trespass the mother's choice to tell or not. However, I feel is very unfair for the father since he is been manipulated to act as a father (to an extent)
I also wonder if the wife has a LEGAL obligation to tell the husband he is not the father when she finds out (depending if I tell her or not)

This is a moral dilemma, and I have to take a side: tell or not tell?
I would greatly appreciate any help

Answer 1

Legally....the husband is classified as the father because he was married to the mother at the time of conception or birth, even if he is not the biological father. This means that he will have just as much right to custody later on as the the biological father or the mother. So, as awful as it is that he is being tricked like this, you are under no legal obligation to tell him. And there is always the possibility that he already knows. As other poster's have said, HIPPA prevents you from revealing anything to the father, unless the mother gives you written permission to do so.

I think this is a judgment call for both you and your superiors at the hospital or doctor's office that you work in. If at all possible this should not be a decision made by a nurse, but one made by someone higher ranking.

So my answer is, don't tell (unless directed to do so by your superiors, and only if she has signed off on confidentiality).

Answer 2

You are making a presumption that she knows it isn't his. She may be faithful, but there may be some things you don't know.

What if they went through In Vitro? They may know it wasn't his. It may not even be hers. Or the clinic may have made a mistake and you found it.

If you tell her, you run a lot of risks. She may go ballistic about your invasion of her privacy. It's possible that the tests were wrong, and very likely that she'll claim they were anyway. She's certainly not going to thank you.

Of course, if it was an In Vitro error, and they find out five years from now, and find out you knew, that's going to be unpleasant, too.

Now the good news.

Your hospital probably has someone on staff assigned to make these ethical determinations. All you have to do is inform them of the situation, and you're done with it. It's up to them to decide what tests to reverify, look at the records and see what it says about In Vitro, and ultimately tell someone or not.

Find out who is responsible for ethical determinations at the hospital, tell them, and no one else, and forget about it.

Answer 3

Don't assume he does not know already. Tell the mother you know and what you concerns are and that you feel he has a right to know...if he does not. Other than that, stay out of it...you are a professional and bound by the restrictions of confidentiality.

I am curious as to how you know he is being manipulated into being this babies father. It sounds as if your interest is a lot more than a professional one.

Answer 4

My Inclination is to tell the father. That said my sensibilities tell me this. As a professional health care provider you are bound by HIPPA and other patient confidentiality laws that expose you to professional and legal consequences. Therefore I would say it is wise to consult with the hospitals legal staff or at least some private legal source before you take any action. That said it is your conscience and you have to live with your decision either way.

Answer 5

Don't tell! Despite whatever moral obligation you feel, your duty as a medical professional isn't to tell this man anything, or to tell the woman that you know. Just do your job. The truth always comes out in the end.

Answer 6

NO! You have no right or obligation to tell! You are a nurse-not a judge! Furthemore, you are not privy to all the details. He may know full well he is not the father, but does not want anyone else to know! They may well have used a sperm donor.Don't even THINK about it. Back off.
Where do you think you would ever get another job if you did tell & got fired and sued?

Answer 7

well, if they are married, he is by law considered the father, and is legally responsible for any children born during that marriage.

also, its very odd that you would get the parternity results if your checking the fetuses health, how would that happen,,,, the only things you would be checking for would be genetic markers the baby may of inherited from his father, not doing dna matching to the father,

either way, as a nurse, you are professionaly obligated not to disclose any information, are you not?

Answer 8

Without the father giving his DNA for a paternity test you couldn't "accidentally" find out. Plus, it is absolutly illegal to discuss matters unless you are her doctor and even then you could only talk to HER. This question hardly even makes sense...did you find out that the baby was black and the father is white or what? Again, you can't accidentally find out the paternaty of a child without the child's and father's DNA...

Answer 9

profesionally u have no place but as a humen been you are drawn on you emations what you should do is talk to the mother as you are not allowed to disclose this information to anyone else as it may lose you your job and possibly only sourse of income. if u do find out that the farther doesnt no hes not the father you could always hint to him or write it down on a paper that he is not the father as he has a write to no also dis way it means you cant be held responsible for anyfing or he could over hear you talking to the mother ablout it

Answer 10

It's not your place to say anything about to them. Give the results of the fetus' health if that's what the test is for and nothing else. You are a health care professional, not Maury Povich.