The Journal of Law, Medicine & Ethics has announced an interdisciplinary Call for Papers for an upcoming special issue dedicated to Human Rights and Disability, inviting contributions from scholars in law, medicine, applied ethics, social philosophy, and disability studies to examine contemporary bioethical and legal frameworks.
Overview and Academic Scope of the Special Issue
The relationship between disability and international human rights has undergone fundamental transformations following the adoption and global implementation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). Historically viewed primarily through medical or charitable lenses, disability is now recognized internationally as an essential human rights concern rooted in individual dignity, bodily autonomy, equality of opportunity, and systemic non-discrimination.
This special issue of the Journal of Law, Medicine & Ethics provides a multidisciplinary forum for analyzing the complex challenges faced by persons with disabilities. By bringing together perspectives from bioethics, health policy, legal theory, and disability studies, the issue aims to advance academic scholarship and formulate practical policy solutions to structural disparities in healthcare and civic life.
Through this Journal of Law Medicine Ethics call for papers, researchers and practitioners are encouraged to submit original research, normative legal analyses, and empirical inquiries that bridge theoretical ethics with practical human rights implementation.
The UNCRPD Framework and Evolving Human Rights Paradigms
The adoption of the CRPD marked a crucial milestone in international jurisprudence by articulating that persons with disabilities must enjoy all human rights and fundamental freedoms on an equal footing with others. The convention establishes binding obligations requiring state parties to eliminate discriminatory barriers across multiple domains, including legal capacity, healthcare access, inclusive education, and employment.
Scholars examining CRPD bioethics and disability rights are invited to assess how international human rights principles influence domestic legislation and judicial interpretations. Contemporary legal systems increasingly draw upon CRPD standards to evaluate deinstitutionalization, reasonable accommodation mandates, and statutory protections, as reflected in evolving disability rights and statutory compensation frameworks across various jurisdictions.
Key Thematic Areas for Article Submissions
The guest editors welcome papers addressing a broad spectrum of intersecting topics across law, ethics, medicine, and philosophy. Prospective authors are encouraged to explore issues including, but not limited to, the following core subject areas:
Applied Ethics, Bioethics, and Healthcare Allocation
A central focus of the special issue involves disability healthcare resource distribution and ethical decision-making in clinical settings. Relevant topics include:
- Ethical standards governing the equitable allocation of scarce medical resources and healthcare rationing during public health emergencies.
- Bioethical debates surrounding reproductive autonomy, prenatal genetic screening, and embryonic gene editing.
- End-of-life decision-making, palliative care rights, and safeguards against involuntary euthanasia or medical coercion.
- Application of the capability approach to evaluate health equity and standard-of-living metrics for persons with disabilities.
- Ethical dimensions of institutional oversight, biomedical experimentation, and clinical trial protections.
Legal Capacity, Autonomy, and Informed Consent
Ensuring legal agency and self-determination remains a critical dimension of human rights and disability legal ethics. The special issue invites analyses focusing on:
- The transition from substitute decision-making models (such as plenary guardianship) to supported decision-making frameworks under Article 12 of the CRPD.
- Individual informed consent, mental disability, and the fundamental legal right to refuse non-consensual psychiatric or medical treatments.
- Protection of vulnerable individuals, particularly women, children, and elderly persons with disabilities, from institutional neglect and abuse.
- Personal autonomy, self-determination, and independent living rights within community care environments.
- Statutory safeguards regulating civil commitment, involuntary detention, and legal representation.
Social Inclusion, Political Participation, and Accessibility
Achieving meaningful participation in civic and social life requires dismantling physical, digital, and structural barriers. Recommended research topics include:
- Universal design, physical mobility, and the enforcement of accessibility standards across public transit and civic infrastructure.
- Inclusive education systems, pedagogical accommodations, and the prevention of segregation in academic institutions.
- Workplace accommodations, equal employment opportunity mandates, and economic security for workers with disabilities.
- Voting rights, accessible electoral processes, and active political representation at regional and national levels.
- Digital accessibility, communication access, assistive technologies, and equal access to information platforms.
Methodological Approaches in Disability Jurisprudence
Research in disability jurisprudence requires careful integration of normative ethics with empirical observation. Authors are encouraged to adopt varied methodological tools to address structural inequalities, including comparative legal analysis, participatory action research, and critical disability theory.
Authors should adopt rigorous interdisciplinary legal research methodology to ensure clarity of argument and factual accuracy. Integrating experiential narratives with statutory analysis enriches disability scholarship and provides actionable insights for lawmakers and courts.
Submission Guidelines and Peer Review Process
The special issue will feature both invited contributions and peer-reviewed submissions selected through this open call. Because the journal reaches an international readership spanning legal scholars, medical practitioners, bioethicists, and public health officials, manuscripts must be accessible to multidisciplinary audiences while maintaining rigorous analytical depth.
Key editorial guidelines include:
- Length Constraint: Manuscripts should generally not exceed 10,000 words, inclusive of citations and references.
- Formatting and Referencing: Submissions must strictly conform to the Author Guidelines of the Journal of Law, Medicine & Ethics regarding citation style, abstract formatting, and text structure.
- Author Information: Manuscripts should be accompanied by a separate file containing author affiliations, brief biographical notes, and complete contact details.
- Peer Review: All submissions will undergo thorough peer review to evaluate originality, methodological rigor, and thematic relevance.
Editorial Contacts and Deadlines
Prospective authors are requested to submit manuscripts directly via email to the guest editors:
- Dr. John-Stewart Gordon: University of Cologne (Email: jgordon@uni-koeln.de)
- Dr. Jerome Bickenbach: Queen's University Kingston / University of Lucerne (Email: jerome.bickenbach@queensu.ca)
The editorial team encourages inquiries regarding abstract suitability and thematic alignment prior to formal submission. This special issue offers an important academic platform to examine and advance the intersection of international human rights law, medical ethics, and disability policy.