Citation

Schiltz ER. Journal of Disability and Religion 2018; 22(3): 228-245.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2018)

DOI

10.1080/23312521.2018.1486772

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Certain laws, such as civil rights laws and criminal laws, are considered to have powerful expressive functions. The expressive functions may be directed at shifting social norms, or at articulating a social consensus about a particularly important norm. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is such a law, expressing the norm that "society's accumulated myths and fears about persons with disabilities" are as debilitating as actual disabilities. This article will analyze the arguments of disability rights advocates that the expressive effect of laws legalizing physician-assisted suicide directly contradicts the norm of the ADA. © 2018, © 2018 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.

Language: en

Keywords

ADA; expressive function of law; physician-assisted-suicide