Conscientious Objection and Nonabandonment

Rachel Lampert is right that pacemakers do not have special legal status in end-of-life decisions (305 JAMA 1858-59 May 11, 2011).  But this line caught my attention:  "Clinicians should not be compelled to perform procedures that they are in disagreement with morally but . . . they must not abandon the patient."  Unfortunately, in many situations these two principles are incompatible.