After Doogan and Wood: Conscientious objection and abortion services

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After Doogan and Wood: Conscientious objection and abortion services

By School of Law, University of Leeds

Date and time

Fri, 13 Mar 2015 10:00 - 17:00 GMT

Location

Room G.32

School of Law Liberty Building, University of Leeds Leeds United Kingdom

Description

An event organised by Law & Social Justice

In December the Supreme Court deliver its judgement in the case of Doogan and Woods v Greater Glasgow and Clyde Health Board [2014] UKSC 68.The case concerned two midwives working as Labour Ward Co-ordinators. The midwives wished to invoke the right of conscientious objection in accordance with section 4 of the Abortion Act 1967 which provides that ‘no person shall be under any duty… to participate in any treatment… to which he has a conscientious objection’. The Health Board objected to the midwives’ claim, stating that their activities were not proximate enough to the termination procedure to qualify under section 4. Whilst the appeal to the Inner Court had seen the midwives claims accepted, the Supreme Court restated the test of proximity that preceding case law had developed and accepted. Nevertheless, Doogan and Woods has refocused attention on the question of conscientious objection in the provision of abortion services and health care more generally. Responding to this, this workshop provides the opportunity to consider a number of questions:

  • What is the place of conscientious objection in abortion services after the Supreme Court decision?
  • How does section 4 sit with wider claims to conscience in health care and other services?
  • Do we need section 4 or should claims of conscience be considered through other legal and extra-legal means?
  • What claims to conscience should be respected and what frameworks do we have to determine this?
  • What is the relationship between personal morality and professional standards and obligations?

Participants include: Abigail Fitzgibbon (British Pregnancy Advisory Service), Ruth Fletcher (Law, QMUL), Sara Fovargue (Law, Lancaster), Lucy Frith (Health Services Research, Liverpool), Sheelagh McGuinness (Law, Birmingham), Jonathan Montgomery (Law, UCL) Mary Neal (Law, Strathclyde), Nicky Priaulx (Law, Cardiff), Michael Thomson (Law, Leeds), Ilias Trispiotis (Law, Leeds)


This is a free event but registration is required in advance.

Organised by

The School of Law is one of the leading law schools in the UK and has been providing instruction in law since its inception in 1899.

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The School has been ranked 8th in the UK for the quality and impact of our research, according to the Research Excellence Framework (REF 2014) and 2nd in the Russell Group for student satisfaction.

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