Defining Conscience and Acting Conscientiously (Conscience in Medicine)

Claudia I Emerson, Abdallah S Daar

The American Journal of Bioethics
The American Journal of Bioethics

Abstract
In a perfect world, acting conscientiously would always be compatible with acting in conformity with the conscience. But ours is not a perfect world; in the context of healthcare, acting conscientiously may require acting against the conscience. For the conscience is sometimes unreliable and cannot serve as a guiding principle where public health is at stake. Defining the conscience does not change that, nor does it offer a justification for conscientious objection. To deliver responsible healthcare, physicians must act conscientiously.


Emerson CI, Daar AS. Defining Conscience and Acting Conscientiously (Conscience in Medicine). Am J Bioeth. 2007;7(12):19-21.

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