Doctor Aurelie Copin1
1QUT, 2Australian Centre for Health Law Research
Conscientious objection (CO) rose to prominence in healthcare with the legalisation of abortion. However, it is accepted to be much more prevalent in the medical community in relation to voluntary assisted dying (VAD) and poses a potential barrier in patient access to VAD. This study seeks to analyse the implications of conscientious objection on the practice of VAD including the extent to which VAD can coexist with a right of conscientious objection, the limits that may apply to any such right and the impacts it may have on the practice of VAD, and on the patient-doctor relationship. A comparative analysis of the ways in which conscientious objection is regulated across jurisdictions has been performed along with an analysis of the ethical acceptability of the construction of CO in current VAD legislative frameworks. Through the lens of this analysis the possible implications of CO on current and future practice of VAD across Australia may be identified as legislation comes into effect throughout the Australian states.
Biography:
Aurelie Copin is a PhD student supervised by Dr Andrew McGee, Prof Ben White and Prof Lindy Willmott at the ACHLR (QUT). Alongside her PhD she currently works as an Intensive Care trainee at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in Sydney.