When Bioethicists Attack Medical Conscience | National Review

A commentary in National Review argues that “medical conscience” should not be treated as optional under bioethics frameworks that would compel doctors to provide all legal medical procedures requested by patients. The piece says two bioethicists, Julian Savulescu and Udo Schuklenk, propose that patients have a right to receive care when conditions are met, including that the treatment is legal, in the patient’s interests, and desired autonomously. The author contends that “patient interests” can become ideological rather than strictly medical, citing examples from major journals. It criticizes reliance on value-neutral tools like Collective Equilibrium in Practice to align outcomes with public attitudes, warning it could coerce religiously or morally objecting physicians and reduce participation in the profession. The argument references Bioethics journal and broader debates over interventions and assisted suicide.