The concept of conscientious objection acquires its problematic character from the conflict between two powerful, but diametrically opposing, moral requirements. One is the requirement to obey the law; the other, the requirement to follow the dictates of one’s own conscience.

The above is from the introduction to Right to Object? Conscientious Objection and Religious Conviction, which is the product of the BHA’s Humanist Philosophers, and is edited by Alan Haworth. It includes:

Jonathan Seglow: Religious Exemptions

Peter Cave: Burkas and Bikinis: Morality and Muddles

Andrew Shorten: Justifying Exemptions Without Religion: Why Toleration and Equality are Not Enough

David Pollock: Is Conscientious Objection an Absolute Right?

Richard Rowson: Applying an Ethical Framework to Decisions About Exemptions in the Professions

Published November 2011. 59 pages.