Conscientious objection to various compulsions under British law

by Constance Braithwaite

Paperback

First published January 1, 1995

Reviews

[James Tidd]

Constance Braithwaite, the daughter of the Quaker historian W C Braithwaite, was born in Banbury. She was brought up as Quakers and educated thus. Her oldest brother was R B Braithwaite, who was Professor of Moral Philosophy at King's College, Cambridge. Having obtained a PhD. at the LSE, she became a lecturer at Aberystwyth, Birmingham, and Newcastle Universities. During the Second World War, she was involved in a personal conscientious protest when she wrote to Ernest Bevin, the Minister of Labour, announcing her refusal to register for employment, as required by the law. She was fined £5.

In this book, Braithwaite takes a look at Conscientious Objection to five different Compulsions under the law, namely Oaths and Affirmations, Vaccination against Smallpox, the teaching of Religion in Schools, the Medical Care of Children, and perhaps most significantly, Military Service.