Supporting the Values of Eco-responsibility and Intergenerational Occupational Justice in a Clinical Context: A Duty for the Occupational Therapist?

Abstract

This article questions the relevance of supporting the value of eco-responsibility and, more broadly, intergenerational justice in the context of the clinical practice of the occupational therapy. When adopting professional practices that are respectful of these values, occupational therapists may be faced with an ethical dilemma that opposes these values to the client-centred approach that is highly valued within the profession. This article develops an ethical reflection on one of the results of a research study conducted on sustainable or eco-responsible practices in occupational therapy. More specifically, we develop an ethical reflection on the legitimacy for occupational therapists to defend the values of eco-responsibility and intergenerational justice in a clinical context. To do so, we mobilize the Quadripartite Ethical Framework (QEF), an ethical analysis framework that was developed to support occupational therapists in their ethical reflections. Without providing a clear or definitive answer as to the ethical relevance of defending these values in a clinical setting, the reflection developed here highlights elements that could be considered by occupational therapists experiencing such an ethical dilemma.