Reflecting on the AOTA Code of Ethics: A 2025 Crossroads

In light of the proposed 2025 revisions to the AOTA Code of Ethics, I feel compelled to respond—not just as a practitioner and educator, but as someone who has been observing and writing about the profession’s ethical evolution for over a decade. This post reflects on concerns raised in the new draft and situates them in a broader historical context drawn from earlier critiques I published in 2011, 2013, 2014, and 2015. When Ethics Become Ideology The proposed 2025 Code of Ethics contains well-meaning language that reflects cultural currents around equity, inclusion, and advocacy. However, the revised document appears to shift the Code away from its core purpose—guiding ethical behavior—and toward promoting a specific ideological framework. It contains language and assumptions that may unintentionally alienate practitioners, obscure clarity in enforcement, and conflate professional conduct with political conformity. A Critical Logic Problem The most serious concern is the...