TY  - JOUR
T1  - Toward a Structured Framework for Conscientious Objection in Spain’s Healthcare System
A1  - Benjamín Herreros
A1  - Tamara Raquel Velasco Sanz
A1  - Pilar Pinto Pastor
A1  - Venktesh R. Ramnath
A1  - Andrés Santiago-Saez
JF  - Asian Journal of Ethics in Health and Medicine
JO  - Asian J Ethics Health Med
SN  - 3108-5059
Y1  - 2025
VL  - 5
IS  - 1
DO  - 10.51847/QwrT3kYTL2
SP  - 265
EP  - 275
N2  - Medical practitioners commonly deal with moral tensions and difficult choices in patient care, prompting increased attention to the concept of conscientious objection (CO). Spain’s health system currently offers no formal guidance on what constitutes valid reasons for CO, how it should be properly exercised, or how best to assist professionals who choose to invoke it. A well-defined procedural framework is therefore necessary. This framework must ensure responsible use of CO by clinicians while upholding its moral legitimacy and legal compliance, balancing respect for personal ethical convictions with patients’ entitlement to timely healthcare. The suggested approach specifies eligibility criteria for CO (individual reference, specific clinical context, ethical justification, assurance of non-discrimination, professional consistency, attitude of mutual respect, assurance of patient rights and safety) along with a step-by-step procedural pathway (notification and preparation, documentation and confidentiality, evaluation of prerequisites, non-abandonment, transparency, allowance for unforeseen objection, compensatory responsibilities, access to guidance and/or consultative advice, and organizational guarantee of professional substitution). The practical usefulness of this model is shown by applying it to a realistic clinical case scenario.
UR  - https://smerpub.com/article/toward-a-structured-framework-for-conscientious-objection-in-spains-healthcare-system-rzuwp8ggadcehn1
ER  -