Debate: Your conscience, my health, whose right to refuse?

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Debate: Your conscience, my health, whose right to refuse?

It's not obvious how much society should accommodate medical professionals who have moral objections to certain procedures

Doctors in the UK and elsewhere have long been given the legal right to refuse to perform abortions, on the grounds of conscience. But what about pharmacists who do not want to provide drugs prescribed by doctors? Should an entire Catholic hospital be allowed to opt out of delivering certain types of of medical treatments? How far can society be expected to accommodate medical professionals who have moral objections to particular procedures?

At the 2011 Battle of Ideas festival, I took part in a debate on this complex topic. You can watch it below:

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