Freedom of conscience encompasses the freedom to form one’s own opinions, beliefs, and convictions—and to act in accordance with them. In today’s current healthcare environment, this freedom is sometimes pressed upon, placing Christian healthcare providers in uncomfortable and distressing situations. This conference digs into what Scripture says to believers who find themselves in ethically difficult situations and practically troubleshoots ways forward for effective clinical practice.

Event Details

Date & Time

Saturday, February 21, 2026

8:00 AM – 5:00 PM

Location

Dallas Theological Seminary: 3909 Swiss Ave, Dallas, TX 75204

Campbell Academic Center (CAC109, Lamb Auditorium)

(Register before January 21 for a discounted rate!)

CME Credit

This activity has been planned and implemented in accordance with the accreditation requirements and policies of the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) through the joint providership of Christian Medical & Dental Associations and Southwestern Christian Fellowship. The Christian Medical & Dental Associations is accredited by the ACCME to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

The Christian Medical & Dental Associations designates this educational activity for a maximum of 4.5 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits(s)™. Physicians should only claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

We are excited to partner with Southwestern Christian Fellowship for this conference.

Conference Objectives

• Identify the primary moral issues at stake when conflicts of conscience occur in medicine.

• Equip healthcare providers and students with tools to address the bioethics behind questionable treatments through biblical and evidence-based strategies.

• Evaluate the available options for physicians in handling conflicts of conscience.

• Discuss whether physicians have a moral obligation to refer in cases they have opted out of due to a moral or religious objection.

• Involve theologians and scientists in a multidisciplinary conversation regarding these issues.

• Encourage discussions with leaders in the field of bioethics.

Schedule

Breakout Sessions

• Advocating for Vulnerable Populations: Voice for the Voiceless

• Ethical Considerations in End of Life Care: Navigating the Complexities

• Facing the Transgender Tsunami: Gender Identity & Treatment

• A Biblical Approach to Gender Identity Issues & Understanding Pronouns

Plenary Speakers

André Van Mol, MD

André Van Mol, MD is a board-certified family physician in full-time practice in California. He co-chairs the Christian Medical & Dental Associations’ Sexual & Gender Identity Task Force and is the transgenderism scholar for both the CMDA and the American Academy of Medical Ethics. He works with Alliance Defending Freedom in a coalition of professionals advising on policy matters addressing sexual orientation and gender identity for high courts. Dr. Van Mol informs legislators, government agencies, and advocacy organizations internationally on sexuality and gender identity. Dr. Van Mol serves on the boards of Bethel Church of Redding and Moral Revolution. He and his wife Evelyn—both former U.S. Naval officers—have two sons and two daughters, the latter of whom were among their nine foster children. 

Jeffery J. Barrows, MD

Jeffrey J. Barrows, DO, MA (Ethics), is an obstetrician/gynecologist, author, educator, medical ethicist, and speaker. He dedicated 15 years of his career to fighting human trafficking within the intersection of trafficking and healthcare. In 2008, Dr. Barrows founded Gracehaven, an organization assisting victims of domestic minor sex trafficking in Ohio. In 2019, Dr. Barrows published a novel entitled Finding Freedom, which realistically portrays child sex trafficking in the United States. Dr. Barrows served as Senior Vice President of Bioethics and Public Policy for the Christian Medical & Dental Associations from 2020 to 2025, overseeing their advocacy efforts. He has been married to Kathy for 47 years, with three grown children and four grandchildren.

Johannes Widmalm-Delphonse

Johannes Widmalm-Delphonse serves as senior counsel with Alliance Defending Freedom, where he is a member of the Center for Conscience Initiatives.

Just prior to joining ADF, Widmalm-Delphonse clerked for the Honorable Sara Ellis of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. Before that, Widmalm-Delphonse served as staff attorney with the Hennepin County Public Defender’s Office in Minneapolis, Minnesota, where he represented clients charged with serious felonies.

Widmalm-Delphonse earned his J.D. from Harvard Law School in 2014. He obtained his B.A., with distinction, in Political Science, from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.

Widmalm-Delphonse is a member of state bars of Minnesota, Illinois, and Virginia.

Partnership