Conscience Without a Map: The Disclosure Problem in Secular Institutional Refusal.

The article examines the concept of institutional conscience in healthcare, focusing on the challenges of applying secular institutional conscience alongside faith-based conscience protections. It highlights that while Catholic hospitals operate under clear, publicly accessible Ethical and Religious...

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Publicado en:American Journal of Bioethics Vol. 26; no. 7; pp. 69 - 72
Autor principal: Stys, John C.
Formato: commentary Journal Article
Publicado: Taylor & Francis Ltd Jul2026
Acceso en línea:Ver este registro en EBSCOhost
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      dt: Jul2026
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      pub: Taylor & Francis Ltd
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        atl: Conscience Without a Map: The Disclosure Problem in Secular Institutional Refusal.
      aug:
        au: Stys, John C.
        affil: Loyola University Chicago
      sug:
        subj:
          Conscience
          Hospitals
          Sociology
          Refusal to Treat Ethical Issues
          Ethics, Organizational
          Philosophy, Medical
          Bioethics
          Health Care Delivery
          Religion and Religions
          Medical Futility
          Transfer, Discharge
          Ethics Committees
          Motivation
          Financial Management
          Decision Making, Ethical
          Clinical Information Systems
          Accreditation
          Communication
      ab: The article examines the concept of institutional conscience in healthcare, focusing on the challenges of applying secular institutional conscience alongside faith-based conscience protections. It highlights that while Catholic hospitals operate under clear, publicly accessible Ethical and Religious Directives, secular institutions lack comparable transparency and accountability frameworks, raising concerns about patient awareness of services refused on moral grounds. The discussion emphasizes practical issues such as inadequate disclosure to patients, difficulties families face when clinical conditions worsen unexpectedly, and the potential overlap between conscience-based refusals and financial incentives. To address these challenges, the article proposes a minimum infrastructure including clear point-of-care disclosures, pre-arranged transfer agreements, and accreditation-linked oversight to ensure institutional conscience rights are implemented transparently and consistently.
      pubtype: Academic Journal
      doctype:
        commentary
        Journal Article
      ougenre: Article
    language: English
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