Deontology versus UtilitarianismDeontology is an ethical theory concerned with duties and rights. The founder of deontological ethics was a German philosopher named Immanuel Kant. Kant's deontological perspective implies that people are sensitive to moral duties that require or prohibit certain behaviors, regardless of the consequences (Tanner, Medin, & Iliev, 2008). The main focus of deontology is duty: deontology comes from the Greek word deon, meaning duty. A duty is a morally obligatory action, for example the duty to never lie and to always keep one's word. According to Kant, even when individuals do not want to act dutifully, they are ethically obligated to do so (Rich, 2008). Kant believed that consequences are irrelevant and that an individual should do what he wants at that precise moment. An example would be for a person to go to their neighbor's house while they were away to turn on the heat, so when they get home it is warm. One consequence of turning on the heat is that their house gets burned down, but according to Kant, since your intentions were good, you can't be at fault. Kant also believed that every person had dignity and should not treat others as a means to one's personal ends (Rich, 2008). In other words, don't treat others as a tool to achieve a goal. For example, a researcher who risks the well-being of an individual participating in an experiment to find a drug that could save many lives. Kant made a distinction between two types of duties which are hypothetical imperatives and categorical imperatives. Hypothetical imperatives are rules or duties that people should observe if certain ends are to be achieved. Hypothetical imperatives are sometimes called “if-then” imperatives, which are conditions that fall under claim rights with exceptions for health freedom rights (Butts, 2008). Federal and state social programs will help ensure that their demands are met and preserved (Butts, 2008). To put welfare rights in a broader perspective I will provide an example. A woman arrives at the emergency room and is undoubtedly in active labor. Even if you don't have medical insurance, the triage nurse will admit you. In this case, the hospital has the duty to treat her until the birth is complete. In short, welfare rights and freedom rights are very important to the nursing profession. As nurses, our duty is to always protect the moral rights of our patients. With the rights to liberty it is our duty to protect the lives of our clients, and with the right to welfare it is our duty to save our clients from potential danger or even death.