ArticleBMC medical ethics2021
"I haven't had to bare my soul but now I kind of have to": describing how voluntary assisted dying conscientious objectors anticipated approaching conversations with patients in Victoria, Australia.
Article in BMC medical ethics, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Who cites it
7 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Pooled it
- Institutional Responses to Voluntary Assisted Dying: An Empirical Study in Victoria and Western Australia.Journal of bioethical inquiry · 2025Article
- The representation of Australians living with dementia in voluntary assisted dying research: A scoping review.Australasian journal on ageing · 2024Article
- Rural healthcare professionals' participation in Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD): beyond a binary decision.BMC palliative care · 2024Article
- Objections to assisted dying within institutions: systemic solutions for rapprochement.BMC medical ethics · 2023Article
- Institutional Objection to Voluntary Assisted Dying in Victoria, Australia: An Analysis of Publicly Available Policies.Journal of bioethical inquiry · 2023Article
- Ethical Diversity and Practical Uncertainty: A Qualitative Interview Study of Clinicians' Experiences in the Implementation Period Prior to Voluntary Assisted Dying Becoming Available in their Hospital in Victoria, Australia.Journal of bioethical inquiry · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
2 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundDealing with end of life is challenging for patients and health professionals alike. The situation becomes even more challenging when a patient requests a legally permitted medical service that a health professional is unable to provide due to a conflict of conscience. Such a scenario arises when Victorian health professionals, with a conscientious objection (CO) to voluntary assisted dying (VAD), are presented with patients who request VAD or merely ask about VAD. The Voluntary Assisted Dying Act 2017 (Vic) recognizes the inherent conflict of conscience that may arise for some health professionals when asked to provide VAD and responds by affording broad protection to conscientious objectors who wish to refuse to take part in the VAD process.
methodsSeventeen semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted with Victorian health professionals with a self-identified CO to VAD in the lead-up to the implementation of VAD in Victoria. Interviews explored how participants anticipated they would manage their CO in practice. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and analyzed thematically.
resultsOur results reveal that the way in which health professionals claimed they would approach CO conversations is variable and was dependant on the strength of their opposition to VAD. We categorized conscientious objectors according to their approach as either dissuasive non-referrers, passive non-referrers, facilitators or negotiators. Our study also explores the perceived difficulties of exercising one's CO as identified by our participants.
conclusionThe broad protection offered by the Voluntary Assisted Dying Act 2017 (Vic) encourages a range of behaviors from conscientious objectors, due to the minimal obligations imposed. In order to assist conscientious objectors, more policy, institutional guidance, and education needs to be available to conscientious objectors explicitly addressing how to effectively manage one's CO. Such guidance is imperative to ensuring that their moral integrity is preserved and that they are exercising their CO appropriately.
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