Participation of Health Care Personnel in Torture and Interrogation

Abstract

A central element of codes of ethical conduct for the profession of medicine is the imperative to 'do no harm.' Disclosures with regard to the treatment of detainees by licensed medical personnel in the 'war on terror' have revealed undeniable breaches of medical ethics among the involved U.S. military health care personnel. In response, the authors call for the American Medical Association and the American Psychological Association to request relevant authorities to disclose all medical personnel involved, directly or by chain of command, in the treatment of detainees in the 'war on terror' since September 11, 2001. The records and conduct of these personnel should be reviewed by the medical licensing boards, other responsible licensing authorities in each state where the military physicians are licensed, or both. Finally, appropriate disciplinary action should be taken on the basis of the results of the reviews, and these actions should be made publicly available. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)