Physicians and Torture: AMA's Letter to the President
The following is a letter the American Medical Association (AMA) sent to President Obama on April 17 2009 regarding "reports in the national media about the involvement of health personnel,some of whom may have been physicians, with the torture of detainees held by the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency" and the AMA response to those reports. The reproduction of the letter and accompanying AMA Principles of Medical Ethics and Opinions on "Physician Participation in Interrogation" and "Torture" can be accessed as a pdf file at this link. The text of the letter is as follows:
April 17, 2009
Honorable Barack Obama
President of the United States
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.
Washington, DC 20500
Dear Mr. President,
We are deeply troubled by reports in the national media about the involvement of health personnel,
some of whom may have been physicians, with the torture of detainees held by the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency.
Any involvement by physicians in torture is fundamentally incompatible with the physician’s role as a healer. Such involvement would violate core ethical obligations of the medical profession to “first,
do no harm” and to respect human dignity and rights.
These core principles are enshrined in the Code of Medical Ethics of the American Medical Association (AMA) and the codes of other professional medical organizations throughout the world. Our AMA Code forcefully states medicine’s opposition to torture or coercive interrogation and prohibits physician participation in such activities. Our Code calls on physicians to support victims of torture, to report the use of torture, and to strive to change situations in which torture is practiced. At stake are the rights and well-being of individuals, the integrity of medicine, and society’s trust in the profession.
As the nation’s largest association of physicians and the voice of the medical profession, the AMA stands ready to work with you to ensure that these core principles guide our nation’s physicians. Our aim is to assure that all physicians are fully aware of their ethical obligations, that physicians are not
put in ethically untenable positions, and that actions like those alleged do not ever occur under U.S.jurisdiction. We will assist you in any way possible to accomplish that goal.
Sincerely, [SIGNATURES]
Nancy H. Nielsen, MD, PhD
President
Joseph M. Heyman, MD
Chair, Board of Trustees
posted by Maurice Bernstein, M.D. @ 10:53:00 AM
4 comments
4 Comments:
First of all, I am very surprised that there are no comments on this very important and knotty topic. It is my opinion that medical professionals should be censured in some way for being involved in the commission of torture or abuse. If physicians and other behavioral health professionals lost their license, that would certainly act as a deterrent. I am a layperson in San Diego California--
In answer to your "surprise", I suppose most people find the significance of physicians participating in one way or another in the the torture of detainees similarly unacceptable as does the AMA and yourself. Perhaps most people agree with the AMA letter to the President and have nothing further to say. I appreciate that at least you did write and express yourself. I do await an argument as to why physicians who participate should not be censured. ..Maurice.
What about the benefit to public health as physician involvement in torture could prevent permanent damage or even death for suspects?
But, Reshad, if there was no torture performed in the first place then there would be no permanent damage or death for the suspects and physicians would not be needed. ..Maurice.
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