Objective: To understand the relationship between moral virtues and phronesis from the perspective of volunteers from civil society organizations that work to protect and help pregnant women, known as pro-life organizations.

Theoretical framework: the perspective of virtue ethics in the neo-Aristotelian approach is presented as a theoretical framework, according to which human conduct is understood on the basis of character dispositions, the moral virtues, as well as through practical wisdom or phronesis, with the aim (telos) of human flourishing.

Method: The research strategy consists of a qualitative multiple case study approach in Brazilian (n = 2) and Spanish (n = 2) organizations, focusing on their volunteers (n = 17 participants). Access to the field was gained through participant observation, semi-structured face-to-face interviews and documentary research, analyzing their content thematically with the help of NVivo software.

Results: The results suggest how they act and learn virtues throughout their volunteer experience – prudence(phronesis), temperance, courage and hope – to know how to approach, advise, judge or restrain judgment and help pregnant women establish priorities and perspectives for the future(foresight). The evidence supports the relationship between phronesis-temperance and phronesis-hope, to balance current priorities and future expectations.

Conclusion: different contexts can reveal similar virtues in the practices of volunteers. The results reinforce the assumption of the unity of virtues. Evidence, limitations and research possibilities are discussed.

Keywords: moral virtues; prudence; phronesis; volunteerism; virtue ethics.

Link to the magazine: /https://rac.anpad.org.br/index.php/rac/article/view/1541/1804