Senior Lib

In December 1972, two months before reaching age 70 and mandatory retirement, Martin Weisbrod, an attorney in the Chicago office of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, brought suit in federal court, declaring that the civil service provision forcing him out of his job was unconstitutional. Though Weisbrod was rehired on a temporary basis under a special federal provision, he has continued to press his case, and last week the American Medical Association an nounced that it will join his suit as a friend of the court.

Declared A.M.A. General Counsel Bernard Hirsh, 56: "When you want to work and can't, that's discrimination. Chronological age is an artificial barrier--it doesn't change you from a competent to an incompetent person." Compulsory retirement, the medical group insists, can be a prime factor in an older person's physical and emotional deterioration. Conversely, work after age 65 can improve life expectancy, increase physical and emotional stamina, even boost earning power. "I'm not built for retirement," declares Weisbrod flatly. "I don't want to sit on a park bench." Thousands of aged Americans would probably echo that sentiment.

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so viewer discretion is required.