This July marks 30 years since the passing of the Americans With Disabilities Act, which banned discrimination based on a disability.
On Wednesday, medical ethicist Art Caplan joined Boston Public Radio, where he explained why he believes the U.S. still has “a long way to go” when it comes to treating its nearly 61 million disabled citizens equitably. He cited disparities in health care and a persisting argument from some, that COVID-19 deaths among the elderly and disabled aren’t as meaningful as those among the younger or more able-bodied.
"I think you’ve gotta do what you’ve gotta do to preserve life when people wanna live, or their families want them to live,” Caplan said. "You can enjoy quality of life even with some impairment. This notion that we can write off the disabled elderly, or nursing home residents … I find that really disability prejudiced.”
Arthur Caplan is the Drs. William F. and Virginia Connolly Mitty Chair, and the director of the division of medical ethics at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine.
