While some bioethicists believe that conscientious objection has no place in modern medicine, others feel that they could be accommodated by setting up tribunals. Here are three proposed this year in the Journal of Medical Ethics.
In times of conscription, military tribunals assess whether a pleas of conscientious objection in legitimate or not. Why not follow this model for healthcare workers, asks Steve Clarke. . .
Robert Card . . . argues in the JME that doctors need to give “public reasons” for conscientious objection. . .This leads him to propose review boards staffed by medical professionals, bioethicists and lawyers.
. . .Jonathan A. Hughes . . . proposed the establishment of Conscientious Objection Tribunals . . . No conscientious objection would be allowed without a licence. . .
[Full text]