Knowledge Hub
To support reproductive health advocates across the globe, Global Doctors for Choice (GDC) has gathered resources related to advocacy with the aim of influencing policies, guidelines, and laws to improve access to care.
Please note that this is not a comprehensive list and does not necessarily reflect GDC’s position. We will continue to gather and add resources, and invite you to contact us to suggest resources.
To view how we defined the Topics and Resource Types, please click here.
We suggest you start your search by Topic and then if needed refine by Resource Type. You also can use the Search Bar to refine your search results.
Termination of pregnancy as emergency obstetric care: the interpretation of Catholic health policy and the consequences for pregnant women
Date:
May 2014
Topics:
Conscientious Objection Resource Types: Publications
The author Marge Berer analyzes the death of Savita Halappanavar in Ireland and similar cases and examines “whether and when to terminate a non-viable pregnancy if the woman’s health and
“Conscientious objection” kills women
Date:
June 2017
Topics:
Conscientious Objection Resource Types: Publications
The authors Joyce Arthur and Christian Fiala assert that conscientious objection kills women, including Valentina Milluzzo in Italy and Savita Halappanavar in Ireland.
International Journal of Gynecology & Obstetrics Volume 123 Issue Supplement S3
Date:
December 2013
Topics:
Conscientious Objection Resource Types: Publications
This webpage provides links to all the conscientious objection articles published in this issue of the International Journal of Gynecology & Obstetrics.
Legal and ethical standards for protecting women’s human rights and the practice of conscientious objection in reproductive healthcare settings.
Date:
December 2013
Topics:
Conscientious Objection Resource Types: Publications
The author Christina Zampas explores the international ethical, health, and human rights standards, including FIGO’s ethical standards, that attempt to “harmoniz(e) the practice of conscientious objection with women’s right to
Good Catholics Can Use Contraception
Date:
July 2011
Topics:
Conscientious Objection Resource Types: Publications
The author Jon O’Brien of Catholics for Choice discusses conscientious objection in relation to sexuality, sex, contraception, and abortion in the framework of the Catholic religion.
Doctoring Conscience
Date:
August 2016
Topics:
Conscientious Objection Resource Types: GDC Resources
The author GDC Executive Director Dick van der Tak states that “as human rights defenders, providers should be protected and aided by their governments in the promotion of fundamental reproductive
“Dishonourable disobedience” – Why refusal to treat in reproductive healthcare is not conscientious objection
Date:
December 2014
Topics:
Conscientious Objection Resource Types: Publications
The authors Christian Fiala and Joyce Arthur argue that healthcare providers who exercise CO “are using their position of trust and authority to impose their personal beliefs on patients, who
The scope and limits of conscientious objection
Date:
November 2000
Topics:
Conscientious Objection Resource Types: Publications
The authors Bernard M. Dickens and Rebecca .J. Cook acknowledge the principles of religious freedom and identify the associated limits to observing religious freedom in health service provision.
The Growing Abuse of Conscientious Objection
Date:
May 2006
Topics:
Conscientious Objection Resource Types: Publications
The authors Rebecca J. Cook and Bernard M. Dickens argues that “physicians who abuse the right to conscientious objection and fail to refer patients to nonobjecting colleagues are not fulfilling
Obstetrician–Gynecologists’ Objections to and Willingness to Help Patients Obtain an Abortion
Date:
October 2011
Topics:
Conscientious Objection Resource Types: Publications
This research by Lisa Harris, et. al., surveyed OB/GYNs in the U.S. to assess conscientious objection for seven scenarios. They concluded that “most ob-gyns help patients obtain an abortion even
