Policies and Laws
-
Countries that Disallow Belief-based Care Denial
Nov 2024: It has been claimed by various researchers or NGOs over the years that certain countries do not allow belief-based care denial (aka “conscientious objection”) in reproductive healthcare or healthcare in general. This document examines those claims for each of the named countries from a variety of sources. Only three countries were found to […]
-
Countries without CO
Yes We Can! Successful Examples of Disallowing ‘Conscientious Objection’ in Reproductive Health Care Christian Fiala, Kristina Gemzell Danielsson, Oskari Heikinheimo, Jens A. Guðmundsson and Joyce Arthur European Journal of Contraception & Reproductive Health Care, Vol 21, 2016 – Issue 3 Abstract Reproductive health care is the only field in medicine where health care professionals (HCPs) […]
-
Croatia
Conscience-based refusal in reproductive medicine by Sanja Cesar Published 2017 Abstract (shortened and edited) This paper explains the legal principle of conscience-based refusal in reproductive medicine; analyses legislation, politics, and practice regarding refusal of health care services provision on conscientious grounds in the Republic of Croatia; and indicates the problems in legislation and practice that […]
-
United States
Is Your Health Care Compromised? How the Catholic Directives Make for Unhealthy Choices CATHOLICS FOR CHOICE 2017 At a time in US history when healthcare can be challenging to access even by those with good insurance coverage, how is it possible to say that Catholic healthcare can be bad for your health? This report will […]
-
Norway
Conscientious objection to referrals for abortion: pragmatic solution or threat to women’s rights? Eva M Kibsgaard Nordberg, Helge Skirbekk and Morten Magelssen BMC Medical Ethics Feb 26, 2014 https://doi.org/10.1186/1472-6939-15-15 Abstract Background: Conscientious objection has spurred impassioned debate in many Western countries. Some Norwegian general practitioners (GPs) refuse to refer for abortion. Little is know about […]
-
Canada
Canadian Policies and Laws on “Conscientious Objection” in Health Care August 2023 This Appendix [to the above paper] describes and critiques the policies of the Canadian Medical Association (CMA) and each College of Physicians and Surgeons across Canada as they relate to the refusal to treat and obligation to refer , in particular for abortion […]
-
Latin America
How ‘conscientious objectors’ threaten women’s newly-won abortion rights in Latin AmericaFrom Uruguay to Chile, medical staff are refusing to provide abortion services even after their legalisation. Diana Cariboni18 July 2018 Women’s rights to legal abortion have increased in Latin America – but so have campaigns and policies for medical staff to be able to ‘conscientiously […]
-
Colombia
Improper Use of Conscientious Objection in Bogotá, Colombia, Presents a Barrier to Safe, Legal Abortion CareNew Study Identifies Avenues for Intervention August 10, 2016, News Release Health care providers who invoke conscientious objection to providing or participating in abortion care in Bogotá, Colombia, can be categorized along a spectrum of objection—extreme, moderate and partial—finds a […]
-
Ghana
Prevalence of conscientious objection to legal abortion among clinicians in northern Ghana John K. Awoonor-Williams, Peter Baffoe, Philip K. Ayivor, Chris Fofie, Sheila Desai, Wendy Chavkin, Int J Gynecol Obstet 2017; 140: 31–36 Abstract: Objective: To assess the prevalence of conscientious objection (CO), motivations, knowledge of Ghana’s abortion law, attitudes, and behaviors toward abortion provision […]
-
Poland
Dispatches: Abortion and the ‘Conscience Clause’ in Poland October 22, 2014 Hillary Margolis Researcher, Women’s Rights Division Poland is one of a select few countries in Europe where access to abortion remains extremely limited: it’s a crime to terminate a pregnancy except in cases of risk to the mother’s life or health, severe fetal abnormality, […]