Pope and Guthell (BMJ, April 30, 2009) have written a masterful
expose
concerning the omission of detainees from the APA's ethics code. I find
this
information both shocking and incomprehensible. Imagine if any other
group
were excluded from APA's ethics code-- e.g., gays and lesbians, African
Americans, amputees, etc. This would prompt a revolutionary outcry. As
far as I
know, detainees aren't exempt from the category of "human beings". I
couldn't
agree more with Steven Miles, M.D., who writes in his rapid response to
this
article, "A full inquiry is needed into how the APA was recruited into a
collaboration with the Defense Department in this matter." Kudos to Pope
and
Guthell for bringing this blatant omission to worldwide attention. And
shame on
the American Psychological Association, to say the least.
Rapid Response:
Detainees omitted from APA's ethics code
Pope and Guthell (BMJ, April 30, 2009) have written a masterful
expose
concerning the omission of detainees from the APA's ethics code. I find
this
information both shocking and incomprehensible. Imagine if any other
group
were excluded from APA's ethics code-- e.g., gays and lesbians, African
Americans, amputees, etc. This would prompt a revolutionary outcry. As
far as I
know, detainees aren't exempt from the category of "human beings". I
couldn't
agree more with Steven Miles, M.D., who writes in his rapid response to
this
article, "A full inquiry is needed into how the APA was recruited into a
collaboration with the Defense Department in this matter." Kudos to Pope
and
Guthell for bringing this blatant omission to worldwide attention. And
shame on
the American Psychological Association, to say the least.
Competing interests:
None declared
Competing interests: No competing interests