2009 Conscience & Healthcare Professionals"

CONSCIENTIOUS OBJECTIONS:
Freedom of Conscience & Religion for Healthcare Providers

April 20, 2009 ? 4.00PM ? St. Luke?s Chapel, MUSC 

Philosopher and bioethicist Christopher Tollefsen will explore the nature and importance of freedom of conscience and religion, and what they entail for the healthcare setting, including the ethical rights and obligations of healthcare professionals in providing ? or in refusing to provide ? legal treatments and services they find morally objectionable.

Free and open to the public. Please join us for this important and timely lecture and discussion.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW OR DOWNLOAD LECTURE VIDEO.

CLICK HERE TO READ (.pdf) THE PAPER ON WHICH PROFESSOR TOLLEFSEN'S LECTURE IS BASED.

Lecture handout (.pdf) link at bottom of this page.

Also by Professor Tollefsen:

• Should the Obama Conscience Rules Seek to Protect Persons or Provide Benefits?
• Liberty, Authority, and the Good of Religion

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Christopher Tollefsen is Professor of Philosophy at the University of South Carolina. He was a 2004-05 Visiting Fellow in the James Madison Program at Princeton University. He has authored numerous articles and book chapters on bioethics, meta-ethics, and natural law ethics. He is the author of two recently published books, Biomedical Research and Beyond: Expanding the Ethics of Inquiry and Embryo: A Defense of Human Life, co-authored with Robert P. George, and editor of Artificial Nutrition and Hydration: The New Catholic Debate and John Paul II?s Contribution to Catholic Bioethics, both with Springer. He is the editor of the Springer book series Catholic Studies in Bioethics, and is both James Madison Fellow, and a Fellow of Witherspoon Institute. He holds a Ph.D. from Emory University.

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Resources for CONSCIENTIOUS OBJECTIONS

• "President Barack Obama wants to rescind a Bush administration rule that strengthened job protections for doctors and nurses who refuse for moral reasons to perform abortions." (Associated Press; 27 Feb 2009)
• "Obama to rescind provider conscience regulation" (NPR "Talk of the Nation"; 2 March 2009
• "Religion, Conscience, and Controversial Clinical Practices" (.pdf; Curlin, Farr et al. N Engl J Med 2007;356:593-600.
• "Ending Abortion Conscience Rule?" (AMed News; 23 March 2009)
• "Health Workers & Religious Exemptions"  (God in Government blog, Washington Post; 8 April 2009)
• "Questions and Answers: Defending the Conscience Rights Regulation" and "Resources" (United States Conference of Catholic Bishops)