Doctors' complicity with torture

doi:10.1136/bmj.a1088

Published 31 July 2008, doi:10.1136/bmj.a1088
Cite this as: BMJ 2008;337:a1088

Editorials

Doctors’ complicity with torture

It is time for sanctions

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

It is an arresting thought. More doctors abet torture than treatthe millions of victims. More than 100 countries condone theuse of torture. A third to a half of torture survivors reportthat a doctor oversaw the abuse.¹ Many prisoners never see thedoctors who refined the techniques to minimise evidential scars,prolong pain, or cause psychological destruction.² Estimatesof the numbers of torture victims do not include people whosemurders disappear when a doctor writes "natural causes" on adeath certificate.

The medical profession ought to dissociate itself from torture—apractice that destroys institutions of civil society; that isused against colleagues of conscience, and that has far reachingadverse mental, physical, and social consequences. Instead,medical societies and licensing boards offer lofty condemnation,which is most ardently aimed at offenders abroad rather thanaccomplices at home.

Doctors who abet torture rarely face professional risks. Governmentswill not . . . [Full text of this article]

Steven H Miles, professor of medicine and bioethics

¹ Center for Bioethics, N504 Boynton, Minneapolis, MN 55414, USA

miles001@umn.edu

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Rapid Responses:

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If nothing else...: Rebecca A. Drayer
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