New SSRN posting of scholarly articles on conscience

UFL member Lynn Wardle has posted two of his articles on the need to protect the rights of conscience on SSRN. I have described SSRN in a previous post here. Professor Wardle’s article, Protection of Healthcare Providers’ Rights of Conscience in American Law: Present, Past, and Future, is part of a series of articles presented at a UFL-sponsored symposium on this topic. He examines the 2008 Bush Conscience Protection regulations and discusses the debate other their rescission. In the second article, Rights of Conscience vs. Peer-Driven Medical Ethics: ACOG and Abortion, Professor Wardle reviews a 2007 opinion of the Ethics Committee of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) prescribing the limits of conscientious refusal in reproductive medicine. He concludes that “the opinion was heavily slanted in favor of the patient’s right to receive reproductive procedures such as abortion or contraceptives” and that “ACOG is unwilling to acknowledge the full power of healthcare providers’ right of conscience.”

While both of these articles are in print, and one is available on various fee-paid databases, it is very helpful the the worldwide community of scholars to have the articles on SSRN for free. I recommend that all of our members consider submitting future, present, and past scholarly articles to SSRN to enhance the distribution of their work, and to help build a worldwide culture of life.

Teresa Collett

Teresa Stanton Collett is a professor at the University of St. Thomas School of Law in Minneapolis, Minnesota, where she teaches bioethics, property law, and constitutional law. A nationally prominent speaker and scholar, she is active in attempts to rebuild the Culture of Life and protect the institutions of marriage and family. She often represents groups of state legislators, the Catholic Medical Association, and the Christian Medical and Dental Association in appellate case related to medical-legal matters. She represented the governors of Minnesota and North Dakota before the U.S. Supreme Court as amici curiae regarding the effectiveness of those states’ parental involvement laws. She has served as special attorney general for Oklahoma and Kansas related to legislation designed to protect the well-being of minors and unborn children. She is an elected member of the American Law Institute and has testified before committees of the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary, Subcommittees on the Constitution, as well as numerous legislative committees in the states.