What term denotes the obligation to treat all people fairly and equally?

• A. Justice
• B. Distributive Justice
• C. Beneficence
• D. Nonmaleficence

Answer: (A)

Justice captures the obligation to treat all people fairly and equally. It requires impartiality and consistency in decisions and actions, free from bias or favoritism toward particular individuals or groups. In nursing and healthcare, this means providing equitable access to care, applying policies consistently, and making resource decisions based on need and fairness rather than personal characteristics.

Distributive justice is specifically about how scarce resources are allocated among a population, which is a key aspect of fairness but more about allocation than the broad duty to treat everyone equally. Beneficence focuses on promoting good and acting in the patient’s best interest, emphasizing positive outcomes rather than universal fairness. Nonmaleficence centers on avoiding harm, guiding clinicians to not cause harm in care, but again it does not define the general standard of fair treatment for all patients.