Medicine doesn’t just have ‘conscientious objectors’ − there are ‘conscientious providers,’ too

By: Raymond G. De Vries, University of Michigan, The Conversation

Outlets: The Conversation

Published: November 15, 2025

Words: 1,317

Last Updated: 1 week, 2 days ago

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When we think about harm, we typically think of physical or psychological suffering. But ethicists point out that we can also suffer “moral injury” when forced to do something at odds with our deeply held values.

Moral injury is often associated with military veterans. It can also occur in health care, however, when providers are coerced to offer care that violates their conscience. In fact, moral injury plays an important role …

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