[We do not create values, but uphold them--a contribution to nursing's value theory]

This article argues how the nature of nursing is anchored in a realist conception of moral value. This moral ontology claims that phenomena like suffering, pain and human distress have a distinct moral character that is independent of individual human perception and empathic responsiveness. This position of moral realism is evident in the ethics of KE. Løgstrup, Kari Martinsen and Nel Noddings. However, these influential theories are in need of a philosophical theory of moral agency which establish a role for moral sensitivity. Moreover, and trying to bridge the gap between analytical moral philosophy and fenomenologist analysis in ethics, the article's final part illuminates how the encounter with the moral realities of immediate human suffering inhabits a significant normative claim. This normative claim of compassion and mercy restricts an impartial, justice-based morality and has significant implications on nurse's perceptions of prioritizing dilemmas.