The State, Religious Diversity and Healthcare in Europe

Purpose

The purpose of this project which started in June 2008 is to draft a thematic dossier mapping out the problem field on “The State, Religious Diversity and Healthcare in Europe”. The project aims to identify problems, indicate possible solutions and give access to a range of strategies in relation to religious diversity and healthcare in Europe to facilitate and benefit practitioners, policy makers and civil society actors.  In respect of religious discrimination in healthcare provision, the project will scan and formulate the state of the play in respect to general healthcare (dietary requirements, clothing, burial ritual, male circumcision, equitable public facilities, organ/tissue donation, blood transfusion, smoking, etc.), sexual and reproductive health (contraception, abortion, infertility treatment, access to information, female genital mutilation, HIV/AIDS, STDs), and mental health. The project will also examine the thematic field from the angle of the healthcare implications of religious observance. The project will be presented in the format of a concept paper, structuring the problem field and briefly setting out the issues, the discourses and the state of existing research.

Scope

For the purposes of the project, religion will not be limited to any specific list of denominations, and will include where appropriate all world religions. Healthcare for the purposes of the project will be given a broad definition to include healthcare in hospitals, prisons, psychiatric facilities, etc, as well as healthcare in relation to bereavement, and general wellbeing such as access to leisure facilities.  Healthcare will not be limited to the provision of healthcare in publicly funded organisations or institutions but will also include private institutions. The project will map out all types of religious discrimination, including direct and indirect, harassment, victimisation, incitement and instruction to discriminate, as well as multiple discrimination where religion is one of the grounds. The project will not be limited to direct patient-practitioner relations, but will also cover institutional and practitioner relations with a patient’s family members. Geographically, the project will be restricted to member states of the European Union. It may be possible to undertake similar project work beyond the European Union at a later stage. 

In September 2008, a roundtable discussion took place between thematic and country experts from Europe and the United States. The roundtable discussion examined the thematic field from the angle of religious diversity and general healthcare, religious diversity and sexual and reproductive healthcare, religious diversity and mental healthcare and the healthcare implications of religious observance. The discussion will inform a concept paper which will map out and structure the problem field and briefly set out the issues, the discourses and the state of existing research.

To view the conference programme click here. 
To view the list of participants click here.