Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Search research articles

Related Experiment Videos

Conscientious objection and emergency contraception.

Robert F Card¹

¹Department of Philosophy, State University of New York, Oswego, NY 13126, USA. rcard@oswego.edu

The American Journal of Bioethics : AJOB

|June 15, 2007

Summary

Healthcare providers have an ethical duty to dispense emergency contraception, even with conscientious objections. Refusal based on beliefs about abortion or morality is ethically insufficient, prioritizing patient access to care.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Public reason in justifications of conscientious objection in health care.

Bioethics·2019

Same author

The Market View on conscientious objection: overvalued.

Journal of medical ethics·2019

Same author

The Inevitability of Assessing Reasons in Debates about Conscientious Objection in Medicine.

Cambridge quarterly of healthcare ethics : CQ : the international journal of healthcare ethics committees·2016

Same author

Reasons, reasonability and establishing conscientious objector status in medicine.

Journal of medical ethics·2016

Same author

In defence of medical tribunals and the reasonability standard for conscientious objection in medicine.

Journal of medical ethics·2015

Same author

Emergency contraception, institutional conscience, and pharmacy practice.

Journal of pharmacy practice·2013

Area of Science:

Medical Ethics
Reproductive Health
Pharmaceutical Practice

Background:

A controversy exists regarding healthcare providers' conscientious objection to dispensing emergency contraception (EC).
This issue impacts physicians and pharmacists, raising questions about professional obligations versus personal beliefs.
Previous discussions have explored balancing provider objections with patient access to EC.

Purpose of the Study:

To analyze the ethical obligations of healthcare practitioners concerning emergency contraception dispensing.
To critically evaluate the ethical justifications for conscientious objection to EC.
To determine if a balance can be struck between provider objections and patient needs.

Main Methods:

Ethical analysis of conscientious objection claims related to emergency contraception.
Evaluation of arguments equating EC with abortion or deeming contraception immoral.
Review of existing ethical frameworks for professional obligations in healthcare.

Main Results:

Arguments based on EC being equivalent to abortion or contraception being immoral do not ethically support conscientious objection.
Referral to another provider is insufficient to meet the ethical obligation.
Balancing provider objections with patient interests is not easily achievable in this context.

Conclusions:

Medical professionals have a professional ethical obligation to dispense emergency contraception when requested.
This obligation includes informing patients about EC and providing the treatment.
Patient access to emergency contraception should be prioritized over provider objections in this scenario.

Related Experiment Videos