[Lea's secret. Confidentiality at any cost?].

: The case of 17-year old student seeking abortion information in a school clinic illustrates the ethical problems of nurses who must balance the patient's right to confidentiality with the conflicting claims of other interested parties, in this case the student's mother. The student desired to end the pregnancy because she wanted to pursue her studies and lacked the financial means to continue the pregnancy and assume responsibility for the child. She did not wish to confide in her mother, who had recently concluded a painful divorce. The student's mother subsequently approached the clinic nurse to inquire whether her daughter had sought services. Quebec's Code of Ethics for nurses states that the nursing professional should respect the confidentiality of all information obtained in the course of exercising the profession, and that confidential information should only be divulged with the authorization of the client or if the law so dictates. Quebec's law for protection of public health stipulates that medical majority is attained at age 14. The Code of Ethics for Nurses also states that nursing professionals should not reveal whether an individual has sought their professional services if the fact of having done so could cause a prejudice to the individual. In view of these professional obligations, the nurse concluded that her primary duty was to maintain the confidentiality of the young student. The profession of nursing depends to a large extent on human relations. Such tools as the Code of Ethics provide principles to orient the behavior of nurses.