An ethical analysis of physical therapists' duty to treat persons who have AIDS: homosexual patients as a test case.

A possible abrogation of the health professional's usual duty to treat sometimes is suggested in regard to patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). The issue first arose and continues to be discussed in regard to those patients who have contracted AIDS through homosexual encounters, though there are now additional populations of patients with AIDS to whom the issue is being directed as well. We examine three lines of reasoning that may be advanced to support this view: the argument from morality, the argument from responsibility, and the argument from the alleged danger to others. We show logical and ethical shortcomings in each view and suggest how the physical therapist's duty to treat all patients who have AIDS can be realized in a safe and supportive environment.