The advantages of the advocacy approach are most readily evident in situations in which clients or citizens are not empowered, for what- ever reasons, to convey their own preferences or concerns. In such situations, having an advocate may be the only option for planning a needed health program. The disadvantages are that the clients or citizens may not agree with the opinions or views of the advocate. In fact, their “advocate” may not even be representing those he or she claims to speak for because this individual implicitly holds a normative view of the needs of the clients or citizens. The advocacy approach also implicitly entails some degree of conflict or confrontation, which may have negative repercussions over the long term. Social irresponsibility arises when the solution ignores important social or cultural