The Contradictory Expressive Functions of the Americans with Disabilities Act and Physician-assisted Suicide Laws

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...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of disability & religion
Main Author: Schiltz, Elizabeth Rose (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
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Published: Taylor & Francis [2018]
In: Journal of disability & religion
Further subjects:B expressive function of law
B physician-assisted-suicide
B Ada
Online Access: Volltext (Resolving-System)
Description
Summary: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.
ISSN:2331-253X
Contains:Enthalten in: Journal of disability & religion
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1080/23312521.2018.1486772