Presidential Disability: Papers and Discussions on Inability and Disability among U. S. Presidents

Who should determine when a United States president is unable to fulfill the office’s responsibilities? What political and medical decisions are necessary? This book consists of the proceedings of a series of conferences held by the Working Group on Disability in US Presidents. The Working Group contains medical doctors, politicians, and former administration members, who examine the current implications of the 25th Amendment to the United States Constitution. This Amendment establishes the causes and methods for the removal [either temporary or permanently] of the President of the United States if he/she becomes incapacitated and what the chain-of-command is in the event of his/her removal. The Working Group received a great deal of national attention from these conferences, and its findings and policy recommendations were endorsed by former Presidents Carter and Ford. The implications of the Working Group’s findings are currently being debated by the United States Congress. This book is especially pertinent with the recent 2000 Presidential election, as the health of the candidates, as well as their right to privacy, have becomepublic issues.

James Toole, MD is Professor of Neurology at Wake Forest University; Robert Joynt, MD is Professor of Neurology at the University of Rochester Medical Center.