Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
Volume 89, Issue 1 , Pages 4-9, January 2008

Moral and Ethical Decisions: To Be or Not to Be. The 39th Walter J. Zeiter Lecture

Presented in part to the American Academy of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, September 29, 2007, Boston, MA.

  • Thomas E. Strax, MD

      Affiliations

    • Corresponding Author InformationCorrespondence to Thomas E. Strax, MD, Dept of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, JFK Johnson Rehabilitation Institute, 65 James St, Edison, NJ 08818.

Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, UMDNJ – Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Edison, NJ; and Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, JFK Johnson Rehabilitation Institute, Edison, NJ.

Abstract 

Strax TE. Moral and ethical decisions: to be or not to be. The 39th Walter J. Zeiter Lecture.

Throughout history, some societies have short-changed the weak, the elderly, and children with disabilities. In this lecture, I will explore some of the sad statistics related to dealing with people with disabilities, as well as attitudes toward, and treatments of, children and young adults with disabilities during the past 70 years. I will follow this with some suggestions for change in our society’s attitudes toward this vulnerable population.

Key Words: Ethics, Rehabilitation

 

 No commercial party having a direct financial interest in the results of the research supporting this article has or will confer a benefit upon the author(s) or upon any organization with which the author(s) is/are associated.

PII: S0003-9993(07)01756-X

doi:10.1016/j.apmr.2007.11.007

Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
Volume 89, Issue 1 , Pages 4-9, January 2008