Leah L Curtin
Extract
If the state itself does not presume to order the consciences of its citizens, how can employers, physicians or hierarchical superiors assume such authority? For those in positions of power, it is all too easy to stifle the criticisms and consciences of subordinates by a summons to authority – or by an accusation of insubordination. The irony of it is that whether you succeed or fail in your attempts to force obedience through such tactics, you will have lost your most valuable asset – a man or woman of integrity. Within the ethical, professional and legal restraints to which all of us are subject, we can and must create a system that allows for respectful dissent and conscientious objection.
Curtin LL. Conscience and Clinical Care. Nurs Manag. 1993 Aug;24(8):26-28.