Conscientious objection in pharmacy practice and policy: An evaluation of the rights and duties of practitioners and regulators

My research investigates which tasks, if any, pharmacy professionals should be permitted to opt out of on grounds of conscience.
In addressing this question I will:
- examine current theoretical (legal and ethical) and practitioner understandings of the role of conscience in pharmacy;
- examine current theoretical, policy and practical understandings of the rights and duties of pharmacy professionals and regulators in relation to Conscientious Objection (CO);
- explore the relationship between CO and professionalism (both in theory and practice);
- critically analyse the appropriate parameters of CO in pharmacy policy and, if appropriate, make recommendations for revising professional guidance; and
- develop pedagogical tools/techniques for use in the education and training of pharmacy professionals, in collaboration with HEIs and industry partners (e.g. Health Education England, NHS Education for Scotland)
Conscientious objection (CO) in pharmacy is an issue of both public and professional concern, often highlighted in both mainstream and pharmacy media. Topical issues include conscience-based objection to provision of abortion, assisted dying, and personalised medicines. Existing academic literature on the place of CO in healthcare focuses on doctors, however, and the pharmacy context has largely been neglected. The proposed research asks which tasks, if any, pharmacy professionals should be permitted to opt out of on grounds of conscience. Pharmacy professionals have always had a critical role in the supply of medication, and their roles are rapidly expanding, meaning that CO may arise for pharmacy professionals in an increasing number of novel contexts in future (for example, were assisted dying to be legalised). Ongoing debates around assisted dying and scant guidance for pharmacy professionals make this a very opportune moment to contribute to the growing academic, governmental and professional debates about the parameters of CO in pharmacy practice. This research will extend beyond current knowledge of the topic by capturing perspectives of the full range of professionals involved in pharmacy, instead of simply dispensing chemists, and analysing these findings in light of theoretical understandings of law, ethics and the professions. This will advance academic debate and inform future policy around CO in pharmacy.