A consequentialist case for permitting conscientious objection in healthcare

Prominent consequentialists who write about conscientious objection (CO) in healthcare, Julian Savulescu and Udo Schüklenk, both argue for the ‘incompatibility thesis’—the view that healthcare professionals ought never to be entitled to exercise a CO to absolve themselves of the responsibility to perform professional duties. I argue, contra Savulescu and Schüklenk, that consequentialists should advocate for a compromise position under which healthcare professionals are entitl

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ethics.ai (22 July 2026), “A consequentialist case for permitting conscientious objection in healthcare,” evidence record 12742, https://ethics.ai/record/12742 (originally published by Journal of Medical Ethics (BMJ)).

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