Psyche, Science, and Society

AMA ducks torture issue

November 13th, 2007

We in the American Psychological Association are fond of pointing to the, in many ways superior policy statement on participation in interrogations of the American Medical Association. Bioethicist Steven Miles sends this note reminding us that the APA has avoided giving teeth to their policy:

The AMA continues to give the scandal of medical complicity in torture the silent treatment. The below resolution proposed came to the AMA house of Delegates this weeks. The AMA’s Committee on Constitution & Bylaws recommended that it not be adopted:

“Guidelines concerning physicians as members of Behavioral Science Consultant Teams, as well as their duties towards detained individuals, are already addressed by Department of Defense polices and federal law.”

The resolution did not even get a floor vote.

Steve Miles

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AMERICAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION HOUSE OF DELEGATES

Resolution: 2

(I-07)

Introduced by: Michigan Delegation

Subject: Physicians’ Duty to Report Torture

Referred to: Reference Committee on Amendments to Constitution and Bylaws

(Jane C.K. Fitch, MD, Chair)

Whereas, The Geneva Convention prohibits the torture of prisoners and requires the reporting of torture; and

Whereas, Adherence to the Geneva Convention is required by armed service regulations; and

Whereas, The codes of ethics of the World Health Organization and the AMA prohibit any physician involvement in torture; and

Whereas, The Michigan State Medical Society Committee on Bioethics believes that the vast majority of physicians serving in the US military serve with an extremely high degree of ethics and professionalism, such that any deviation from these standards of ethics, among a few medical personnel, would constitute a serious and deplorable breach of these high standards and unfairly tarnish the reputation of other military physicians; and

Whereas, Previous, known military inquiries into detainee abuse in Iraq, Afghanistan and Guantanamo Bay have implicated some medical personnel but have not looked specifically at the role of medical personnel in these practices; and

Whereas, Those charged with teaching ethics to future physicians are handicapped in discussing the ethical standards expected of military physicians when they are unable to learn specific examples of both ethically exemplary and ethically questionable behavior under difficult wartime conditions; therefore be it

RESOLVED, That our American Medical Association ask the US Congress to conduct an investigation sufficient to assure that the US military is currently or has recently investigated the medical issues related to alleged detainee abuses, and the involvement or noninvolvement of medical personnel in such activities, especially that:

a. physicians are not being used as members of the Behavioral Science Consultation Teams (BSCTs) advising detainee interrogation procedures and

b. all detained individuals are treated according to the same standards of care expected for US military personnel in the theater (Directive to Take Action); and be it further

RESOLVED, That our AMA ask the US Congress to investigate that bodies currently involved in training military physicians are addressing the ethical codes and principles pertinent to the prevention of abuse of detainees, including where appropriate real examples drawn from recent events in Iraq, Afghanistan and Guantanamo Bay. (Directive to Take Action)

Fiscal Note: Estimated cost of $9,823 to communicate with Congress through letters, meetings and other mechanisms.

Received: 09/26/07

Entry Filed under: APA, Guantanamo, International Law, Interrogation, Medicine, Psychological Torture, Psychology, Torture, War Crimes