Samvete och samvetsfrihet : en analys av samvetskonflikter i det svenska samhället och av begreppen samvete och samvetsfrihet

Sammanfattning: The aim of this study is to describe and analyse four conflicts and two concepts. Four conflicts of conscience found in Swedish society are studied in the second chapter. 2.2 - the state’s requirement that all male citizens do military service and the citizen’s right to refuse to do military service. 2.3 - obligatory course requirements and the college student’s right to refuse participation in certain practical studies for reasons of conscience. 2.4 - the minister’s right to refuse to marry a couple based on matters of conscience vs the vows a minister has taken to perform such ceremonies. And 2.5 -the conflict which arises when a minister who is opposed to the ordination of women as ministers, is expected to cooperate with women ministers although he has conscience-based reasons for not doing so. In the third chapter I discuss six different theories of conscience and a suggested definition is presented. In the fourth chapter I present five arguments for freedom of conscience and a typology is provided and applied to the conflicts of conscience studied in order to answer the question of whether or not there is ample freedom to follow one’s conscience.