ABSTRACT
John Paul II spoke consistently with Article 18 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights in observing that: freedom of conscience does not confer a right to indiscriminate recourse to conscientious objection. The boundary between legitimate conscientious objection and an indiscriminate appeal to conscience in violation of law and of others' rights is not always easy to determine. The goal of this development is to resist and frustrate implementation of the concept of 'reproductive health' that has been developed over the last decade. Healthcare institutions and healthcare payers are defined in comparably comprehensive terms, and are accorded a conscience, meaning 'the religious, moral or ethical principles held by a health care provider, the health care institution or health care payer'. Legislation of broad refusal or conscientious objection laws regarding reproductive health services turns the historical tolerance of religious freedom and diversity.
