Practising and Tolerating Conscientious Objection in Healthcare: A Brief Defence

Conscientious objection in healthcare is important for at least two reasons: the need for healthcare workers to be conscientious people-even where their objections are mistaken-and their need to respect the core values of their professions. Conscientious objection can be nuanced and/or unexpected: sometimes it is being confronted with a situation in a visceral way that leads to the objection, including after the healthcare worker has already been involved in the practice concerned. Referral to a non-objecting practitioner is often expected but goes against the logic of much conscientious objection: healthcare workers who see some intervention as unjustifiably harmful may not wish to intend its performance by others or even its pursuit. In the end, healthcare professionals need the virtue of conscientiousness: this is necessary, albeit not sufficient, for them to act well in their roles. As patients we also need conscientious professionals: even if their response may occasionally do us harm, the fact the healthcare worker is unwilling to act unethically as she sees it is a valuable and crucial character trait.