Abstract

This paper advances a normative framework to understand conscientious objection in the area of sexual and reproductive health services. Here, the objection of health professionals, unlike traditional cases of objection, directly affects the rights of other people. For this and other reasons I detail, the permissive strategies of the model I call “libertarian” and the model I call “conciliatory” run into serious problems. I argue in favor of a third model inspired by the ideal of equality. From this perspective, it is unlikely that conscientious objection can be acceptable for sexual and reproductive health professionals. For this to be so, the limits on its exercise would have to be much stricter than those established by the conciliatory model and, in any case, the acceptance of any objections would have to be subordinated to the prior existence of non-discriminatory, universal access to sexual and reproductive health services.