[Event Recap] WCB | Theme 4. Comforting or disturbing bioethical reflections on healthcare and clinical practice
On 9 July in Johannesburg, our Centre Assistant Lecturer Dr. Weian Zhong presented his work on conscientious objection (CO) at the 18th World Congress of Bioethics (WCB) 2026, alongside Prof. Justin Oakley (Monash Bioethics Centre), in a session chaired by Prof. Shawneequa C. (The George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences).
Dr. Zhong's talk, Conscientious Objection as a Hedge against Discrimination, offered a fresh moral justification for CO: it offsets the expressive harms of eligibility-restricted services (e.g., assisted dying or abortion). By counter-signalling that eligibility rules are not judgments on the worth of those who decline, CO reduces stigma and dignitary injury, while curbing peer pressure on patients and professionals alike.
The session showcased our diverse engagement at WCB 2026, tackling foundational questions of professional ethics. We are proud to see our colleagues contributing to these conversations, and hope they will continue to enrich bioethics for years to come!