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Conscientious objection and LGBTQ discrimination in the United States

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Abstract

Given recent legal developments in the United States, now is a critical time to draw attention to how ‘conscientious objection’ is sometimes used by health care providers to discriminate against the LGBTQ community. We review legal developments from 2019 and present several cases where health care providers used conscientious objection in ways that discriminate against the LGBTQ community, resulting in damaged trust by this underserved population. We then discuss two important conceptual points in this debate. The first involves the interpretation of discrimination (provider versus patient-centered views), and we argue for a patient-centered view; the second involves the use of the people versus procedure distinction to reach a compromise between LGBTQ individuals and the clinicians who do not want to treat them. We argue the distinction is problematic when applied to treatment of the LGBTQ population.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Foundational Medical Studies, Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine, 586 Pioneer Dr., Rochester, MI, 48309, USA

    Abram Brummett

  2. Institute for Bioethics & Health Humanities, Preventive Medicine and Population Health, University of Texas, Medical Branch, 301 University Blvd., Galveston, TX, 77555, USA

    Lisa Campo-Engelstein

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  1. Abram Brummett
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  2. Lisa Campo-Engelstein
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Correspondence to Abram Brummett.

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Brummett, A., Campo-Engelstein, L. Conscientious objection and LGBTQ discrimination in the United States. J Public Health Pol 42, 322–330 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1057/s41271-021-00281-2

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