Medical Conscience Rights: Indispensable to the Common Good

The Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment recognizes and guarantees the
inalienable right to express one’s religious convictions both privately and publicly. Naturally,
public expression extends to professional life. We mustn’t leave our well-formed conscience at
the door to our workplace. Yet, that is precisely what is expected of many health care
professionals. This expectation harms the health care professional, the patient, and the overall
profession. In response, this lecture explores the indispensability of medical conscience rights to the common good of society.