Conscience and bioethics: what if everybody were objectors?

In the last decades, conscientious objection went through a deep transformation. It has aquired a specific legal dimension as the right of conscientious objection. This change has deeply involved bioethics, starting new challanges in contemporary society. The right of conscientious objection was born as an instrument to safeguard people’s liberty of conscience. Its application is particularly sensitive in specific bioethical fields. As a matter of fact, the choice to object can deeply impact on a third person’s rights, as it happens for objection to abortion, medically assisted procreation and vaccinations. But what if everybody were objectors? A good starting point is the objection to abortion in Italy, where in some regions the percentage of objectors is nearly 80% in public hospitals. We could argue that the easiest solution is to forbid people to object. But would it solve the problem? Or could we produce major political and social problems? How can we find a possible solution, in terms of fundamental rights’ balance?