The Conscience Clause in the Healthcare System Cover Image

The Conscience Clause in the Healthcare System
The Conscience Clause in the Healthcare System

Author(s): Marzena Furtak-Niczyporuk
Subject(s): Human Rights and Humanitarian Law, Health and medicine and law, Philosophy of Law
Published by: Wydawnictwo Naukowe Uniwersytetu Marii Curie-Sklodowskiej
Keywords: conscience clause; conscientious objection; health service; healthcare system;

Summary/Abstract: Usually, studies of the conscience clause address only its selected aspects, drawing on multiple disciplines and often addressing the same research subject within an interdisciplinary approach. Consequently, a synthetic approach is needed, especially one that takes into account the healthcare system. From this perspective, the conscience clause is fundamentally about conscientious objection. Its clearest structural identification recognised and sanctioned by law can be found in the general reference clause. The conscience clause, understood in this way, is intended primarily for doctors, nurses, and midwives, although it indirectly concerns patients as well. Since the conscience clause is both a legal and a moral norm, it always legally enforces respect for natural values stemming from specific worldviews or religious beliefs.

  • Issue Year: 34/2025
  • Issue No: 5
  • Page Range: 53-65
  • Page Count: 13
  • Language: English
Toggle Accessibility Mode