Clinical and professional ethics in the management of motor speech disorders

The field of biomedical ethics is increasingly discussed in speech-language pathology graduate school curricula as well as in continuing education forums. The application of the principles of medical ethics can be extremely helpful to the difficult decisions sometimes facing speech-language pathologists with respect to doing good for their patients while respecting both patients' autonomy and federal and state law. Professions have increasing attempted to codify professional issues relating to moral issues through codes of ethics and codes of conduct. This article focuses on applying selected principles of medical ethics and professional codes of conduct to the practice of speech pathology specific to motor speech disorders. Case examples are provided to illustrate ethical decision making through consideration of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) Code of Ethics as well as a number of principles of medical ethics.