The Contradictory Expressive Functions of the Americans with Disabilities Act and Physician-assisted Suicide Laws
Year: 2018
Type: article
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.
Source: Journal of Disability & Religion
Author: Elizabeth Rose Schiltz
Institution: University of St. Thomas - Minnesota
Language: English
Subfield: Safety Research
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2891692365