The need for feasible compromises on conscientious objection: response to Card

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Aaron J Ancell1, Walter Sinnott-Armstrong2

  • 1EJ Safra Center for Ethics, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA.

Journal of Medical Ethics
|March 16, 2019
PubMed

Insights

This study addresses criticisms of a medical conscientious objection proposal. It clarifies the proposal's scope and necessity as a political compromise, offering a framework for evaluating such compromises.

Area of Science:

  • Medical Ethics
  • Public Policy

Background:

  • A proposal for managing conscientious objections in medicine has been criticized.
  • The criticism mischaracterizes the proposal's nature, scope, and implications.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To correct mischaracterizations of a proposal for managing conscientious objections in medicine.
  • To explain the necessity of compromise in specific political contexts.
  • To establish criteria for evaluating proposed compromises.

Main Methods:

  • Critical analysis of Robert Card's critique.
  • Re-explanation of the proposal's objectives and limitations.
  • Development of a framework for evaluating medical ethics compromises.

Main Results:

  • Card's critique inaccurately represents the proposal.
  • Compromise is deemed necessary due to the specific political context.
  • A methodology for evaluating compromises is presented.

Conclusions:

  • The proposal is a nuanced compromise, not fully understood by critics.
  • Political context is crucial for ethical policy development.
  • A structured approach is needed to evaluate ethical compromises in medicine.

Keywords:
conscientious objection

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