Dickens B M, Cook R J
Faculty of Law, Faculty of Medicine and Joint Center for Bioethics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada.
Int J Gynaecol Obstet. 2000 Oct;71(1):71-7. doi: 10.1016/s0020-7292(00)00330-1.
Principles of religious freedom protect physicians, nurses and others who refuse participation in medical procedures to which they hold conscientious objections. However, they cannot decline participation in procedures to save life or continuing health. Physicians who refuse to perform procedures on religious grounds must refer their patients to non-objecting practitioners. When physicians refuse to accept applicants as patients for procedures to which they object, governmental healthcare administrators must ensure that non-objecting providers are reasonably accessible. Nurses' conscientious objections to participate directly in procedures they find religiously offensive should be accommodated, but nurses cannot object to giving patients indirect aid. Medical and nursing students cannot object to be educated about procedures in which they would not participate, but may object to having to perform them under supervision. Hospitals cannot usually claim an institutional conscientious objection, nor discriminate against potential staff applicants who would not object to participation in particular procedures.
宗教自由原则保护那些基于良心拒斥而拒绝参与某些医疗程序的医生、护士及其他人员。然而，他们不能拒绝参与挽救生命或维持健康的程序。基于宗教理由拒绝实施程序的医生必须将其患者转介给无异议的从业者。当医生因宗教原因拒绝接纳申请人进行其反对的程序时，政府医疗管理人员必须确保无异议的医疗服务提供者合理可达。护士基于良心拒斥而直接参与她们认为有宗教冒犯性的程序，这种情况应予以考虑，但护士不能拒绝给予患者间接帮助。医学和护理专业学生不能反对接受关于他们不会参与的程序的教育，但可以反对在监督下实施这些程序。医院通常不能声称机构存在良心拒斥，也不能歧视那些不会反对参与特定程序的潜在工作人员申请人。
