(Oct 2024) Presentation: Origin of “Conscientious Objection” in Health Care
How Belief-Based Care Denial Became Enshrined into Law Because of Abortion
The United Kingdom was the first country to officially allow care denials based on “conscientious objection” by health care professionals – in the 1967 Abortion Act. The motivations for adding the “conscience clause” were rooted in moral opposition to abortion, Catholic religious beliefs against abortion, and doctor authority and protectionism. This unprincipled basis for belief-based care denial came at the expense of patients’ rights and health and physicians’ fiduciary duty to patients. The UK should repeal its “conscience clause” and phase out the practice. The provision of safe, legal abortion is a vital public interest that negates any grounds for belief-based care denial.
This presentation is based on an academic article pending publication and was given at the FIAPAC conference in Brussels Belgium on Sep 20, 2024. FIAPAC is the International Federation of Abortion and Contraception Professionals.