RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Conscientious objection: unmasking the impartial spectator
JF Journal of Medical Ethics
JO J Med Ethics
FD BMJ Publishing Group Ltd and Institute of Medical Ethics
SP 677
OP 678
DO 10.1136/medethics-2019-105698
VO 45
IS 10
A1 Toni C Saad
YR 2019
UL http://jme.bmj.com/content/45/10/677.abstract
AB Hoping to bring some objectivity to the debate, Ben-Moshe has argued that conscientious objection in medicine should be accommodated based on its concordance with the ‘impartial spectator’, a metaphor for conscience drawn from the writings of Adam Smith. This response finds fault with this account on two fronts: first, that its claim to objectivity is unsubstantiated; second, that it implicitly relies on moral absolutes, despite claiming that conscience is a social construct, thereby calling its coherence and claims into question. Briefly, a traditional account of conscience is then described, before ending with a related thesis for future discussion.