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Conscientious Objection in Social Work and Healthcare

A Philosophical Analysis

Bibliographic Data

ID10896256
AuthorsChristopher Cowley (0000-0002-1193-826X, University College Dublin, corresponding author)
Year2020
Volume50
Issue7
Pages2083-2097
Publication date2020-12-07
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueThe British Journal of Social Work (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0045-3102 • E-ISSN: 1468-263X
PublisherOxford University Press (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1093/bjsw/bcz136
OpenAlexW3112736281
LanguageEN
Citations received5
References cited9

Healthcare and social work would seem to have a lot in common. Both of them involve professional care, even if the methods and the targeted needs are different. However, they differ strikingly in the place accorded to conscientious objection (CO). The right of healthcare professionals to refuse to perform or authorise certain lawful services is well protected by the law of most Western jurisdictions. In addition, these conscience rights have been subject to a good deal of discussion in the medical ethics and medical law literature. In contrast, there seems to be very little scope for CO among social workers and very little discussion about CO in the social work literature. I examine the possible reasons for this difference, and then investigate the sort of things that a social worker might plausibly object to. In the end, I defend the position that social workers should not be permitted to express a CO, although I accept that they have other avenues for expressing legitimate dissent

Conscience · Conscientious objector · Health care · Law and economics · Object (grammar) · Political science · Public relations · Scope (computer science) · Sociology · Subject (documents) · Work (physics) · Ethics in medical practice · Law · Patient Dignity and Privacy · Torture, Ethics, and Law · Social Work

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    Open Access•Laura A Chubb, Georgina Guild et al.•Ethics and Social Welfare•2025

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    Open Access•Mary Jo Stahlschmidt, Amy S He et al.•The British Journal of Social Work•2022

  • Ethics and Values in Social Work

    Open Access•Bank, Sarah Banks•Ethics and Values in Social Work•2012

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    Open Access•Mark R Wicclair•Conscientious Objection in Health…•2011

  • Best Interests Assessor Role

    Rachel Hubbard•Practice•2017

  • Moral injury among Child Protection Professionals

    Open Access•Wendy Haight, Erin P Sugrue et al.•Children and Youth Services Review•2017

Citations per year0.83
Citation span2020 - 2025 (6)
Highly citedNo

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