Conscientious Objection

Adele is a 39-year-old solicitor. She is 16 weeks pregnant with her first child. Following her first trimester scan at 13 weeks she was informed that she was high risk for having a child with Down’s syndrome. She underwent further diagnostic testing in the form of amniocenteses which confirmed the diagnosis. The couple is distraught as they had tried for a long time to conceive, but Adele does not think she can cope with a baby with Down’s syndrome. Despite counselling, Adele is now sure that she wants to terminate the pregnancy. She visits her GP to request a termination. However, the GP is a practicing Roman Catholic with a strong faith, and he does not wish to participate in abortion services.

• In what circumstances can a healthcare professional refuse to be involved in a termination of pregnancy?
• Are there any other medical situations when conscientious objection can be used by a healthcare professional?

Apply Theory (Specific Professional Healthcare Competencies + Clinical Medical Ethical Principles) to Practice in order to provide Optimal Patient-Centered Care (OPCC)

Source – Ethics Case Studies from Clinical Ethics and Law (Second Edition), Carolyn Johnston Penelope Bradbury