For many Americans, the words “conscientious objector” conjure memories of an unpopular war and those who declined to fight, at the cost of freedom, careers, fractured family relationships, and hatred and threats. Yet the most famous conscientious objector, Muhammad Ali, explained that, in refusing to go to war in violation of his Muslim faith, “I have gained a lot…I have gained peace of mind. I have gained a peace of heart.”1 Today, conscientious objection causes significant consternation in medicine. In this issue of Anesthesiology, Koganti et al.2 discuss medical conscientious objections, and why anesthesiologists can and should accommodate them.
Federal rules and various state laws explicitly provide legal protection to physicians who refuse to provide care that violates their religious or personal moral beliefs regarding abortion, sterilization, contraception, physician-assisted suicide, and transgender care.3 Many medical ethicist experts are concerned that vulnerable patient groups are particularly...