The Loss of a Physician's Freedom of Conscience Will Result in the Breakdown of Patient Autonomy Within the...

Editor's Note: Issues of conscience are of increasing importance in medicine, especially when it comes to the Catholic physician. Nearly fifteen years ago, this alarm was sounded regarding the connection between physician conscience and patient autonomy. First published Vol 76, No 4, November 1, 2009. The development of patient autonomy within healthcare has created new challenges in the physician-patient relationship. When a patient demands a service that violates the conscience of a physician, it creates conflict within that relationship. This has become particularly problematic when a patient demands abortion or artificial contraception and the physician is morally bound to refuse. This article argues that the integrity of the physician's conscience must be maintained in order to uphold the integrity of the patient's autonomy. If the physician is forced to violate his conscience, then the guarantee that a patient's desires and wishes will be respected will be lost because a great moral inequality will be created between the physician and the patient. To safeguard both the physician-patient relationship and the patient's autonomy, it is vital that the physician's conscience be protected.