Protection of Conscience Project
Protection of Conscience Project
www.consciencelaws.org
Service, not Servitude

Service, not Servitude

Education and Practice

Does medical education make physicians susceptible to participating in torture? (2013) (2013)
Craig Klugman | . . . Medical education does not provide courses in moral courage, defying authority, or turning against the tide of one’s peers. In fact, medical education encourages group think, keeping your head down and knowing your place in the hierarchy, and seeking out the approval of your peers . . . continue reading
 
Pharmacists with a Conscience Need Not Apply Canada: May, 2005)
Cristina Alarcon | . . . Freedom of conscience and religion is a basic human right and is a necessary attribute of what it means to be truly human. Yet pharmacists are increasingly being pressured to leave their spirituality at the door, to live incoherent double lives, all for the sake of so-called patient autonomy, an autonomy which in my view is not under threat when the patient is free to walk down the street to the next provider. . . continue reading
 
The Situation in Switzerland in General and a Casuistic Report (Switzerland: 2001)
Rudolf Ehmann | . . .Already, the Swiss constitution clearly defines the right of freedom of conscience. In real life this right is not respected, as there are always reasons for the refusal of a candidate. . . Even if a colleague will obtain an opportunity to study, obstacles will be placed in the path of his training. . .  continue reading
 
Changes in the Practice of Obstetrics & Gynaecology: 25 Years of Practice (USA: 2001)
Thomas W. Hilgers | . . .The introduction of contraception, sterilization, abortion and the artificial reproductive technologies has dramatically changed the practice of obstetrics and gynaecology . . .This evolution has impacted the physicians who have practiced in this field . . . continue reading
 
The Particular Witness of a Catholic Obstetrician and Gynaecologist: A Sign of Contradiction in the Culture of Death (2001)
Dr. Nicholas Tonti-Filippini | . . .In this paper I address some particular areas of O&G practice in which in being informed by a Catholic perspective on respect for human dignity in sexual and reproductive health, we are led to seek out better solutions to problems affecting women's health. That is to say, a Catholic O&G develops better, less interventionist, more woman and child friendly solutions and these constitute a more constructive approach to O&G practice. . . continue reading
 
Conscientious Objection on the Socio-Political Background of Ethical Relativism (Switzerland: 2001)
Nikolaus Zwicky-Aeberhard | As we all know very well it becomes increasingly difficult for a junior doctor to get an appropriate postgraduate training in obstetrics and gynaecology if he refuses to assist to or perform abortions and almost impossible if he refuses to participate in contraceptive measures, in vitro fertilisation IVF ( and similar reproductive procedures) and sterilisation. . . continue reading
 
The Fundamental Human Right to Practise and be Trained According to Conscience
Mons. Tarcisio Bertone, SDB | . . .When there is a conflict between the moral norm and the law, i.e. between natural law and positive law, the only instrument to overcome the dilemma or the clash is conscientious objection. Conscientious objection represents a founded and legitimate dissent in relation to the constituted order, due to its dissonance towards a higher law. . . continue reading
 
Religious discrimination in the selection of medical students: a case study (USA: 1996)
Abstract | . . .  only applicants opposed to [abortion or sterilization] were subjected to special questioning concerning them. The school claimed that applicants were queried about their only to evaluate a capacity to identify relevant issues, but it is clear that the interviewers' personal biases concerning abortion and sterilization influenced their rating of the candidates. . . continue reading
 
The Training of Obstetricians: a Resident's View
Susanne van der Velden & Almut Hefter | To sum things up: difficulties exist in every country and at different levels: within the professional body, political reasons or on a personal level. So far we have been able to practice according to our conscience most of the times and received good medical training despite our objections. However, we had to make compromises - or at least we felt that we had to do them - in some areas for practical reasons . . . continue reading