Conscientious Objectors

Conscientious objectors are individuals who hold a moral reservation toward participating in warfare and the taking of human life. They are often classified according to two categories: general objectors, and selective objectors. General objectors refuse to [Page 384]participate in any and all armed conflicts, while selective objectors refuse to participate in armed conflicts that they believe violate their morals or the principle of jus ad bellum. Historically, only general objectors have succeeded in being legally exempted from conscription or deployment into theaters of war. General objectors also fall into two distinct categories: absolutists, who categorically refuse to participate in any system that perpetrates war, and noncombatants, those who are willing to serve their country in a role that does not require them to use force ...