@article{1445562,
      recid = {1445562},
      author = {O'Halloran, Kerry,},
      title = {Conscientious objection : dissent and democracy in a  common law context /},
      pages = {1 online resource.},
      abstract = {This book traces, assesses and compares the history of  conscientious objection in the cultural context of six  common law nations from refusal of military service and a  range of similar moral dilemmas, to objecting to abortion,  to the current social polarisation surrounding vaccination  hesitancy in the COVID-19 pandemic. It considers the impact  of this form of dissent in relation to social movements  like Black Lives Matter, social activists such as Gandhi,  and whistle blowers like Daniel Ellsberg. It reflects on  the relationships between the sacred and the secular, the  state and the citizen, in order to better understand the  responsibilities of citizenship in our increasingly secular  societies. It analyses what defines the conscientiousness  of an objection from both legal and ethical standpoints. It  examines what constitutes a matter of conscience, why this  should justify exemption from civic duties and why this  form of dissent has such a time-honoured status. It  explores the increased reliance on grounds of religion,  belief or conscience as providing justification for  excusing some citizens from complying with certain  responsibilities mandated by equality and  non-discrimination legislation that are binding for all  others. By conducting a comparative evaluation of national  law and judicial rulings on a fixed agenda of issues, this  book identifies key jurisdictional differences concerning  conscientious objection. In so doing, it highlights the  importance of cultural context and constructs a  jurisdiction-specific overview of legislation, policies and  case law. By tracking policy developments and highlighting  crucial judicial rulings particularly in the US it provides  insights into the probable future direction of developments  in national law relating to conscientious objection.  Lastly, the book draws attention to some of the potential  consequences of manifesting dissent by opting out of  performing public services e.g. the possible local  breakdown of specific service availability (e.g. abortion,  officiating at same-sex marriages, and immunisation);  prompting population movements as established democratic  civil rights are locally negated (reproductive rights, LGBT  rights, right to health protection); fragmenting society  into a geographic patchwork of regions in which some  citizens are branded as conservative/reactionary and others  as progressive; and fuelling the culture wars with profound  implications for a coherent democratic society.},
      url = {http://library.usi.edu/record/1445562},
      doi = {https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-97648-4},
}