Monday, September 29, 2008 - Questionable Use of Psychiatrists at Guantanamo |
I heard a story last week on the radio that caught my attention. We've all heard of Guatanamo Bay and have a pretty good idea of who's imprisoned there.
It turns out the Pentagon has backtracked on a promise not to use psychiatrists in interrogating detainees at Guatanamo (and at other detention sites). This is not exactly surprising. However, my objection is psychiatrists using their particular skills in interrogating.
Here's the story I heard on NPR (National Public Radio):
www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php
The radio story became news because the President of the American Psychiatric Association (APA) wrote a letter to Defense Secretary Robert Gates stating that "the use of psychiatrists to aid in interrogations is a serious violation of medical ethics and should be discontinued." There is a link in the NPR story to the letter itself.
I agree with this professional organization as well as lawyers, medical ethicists, and lawyers. Akin to physicians having the Hippocratic Oath, psychiatrists and psychologists should not be using their professional skills in a subversive way to interrogate detainees. It may not against professional ethical guidelines but it's clear that this is not how society would like to acknowledge mental health professionals making a living.
As the President of the APA says, "It's not the role of psychiatrists to figure out people's weaknesses and try to prey on them." That almost sounds like a definition of a criminal, doesn't it?
If this were happening on US soil, this would probably be a huge news story but with the 9/11 anniversary having passed recently and with Presidential Elections approaching in November, many Americans may just turn a blind eye and allow this to behavior to continue. |
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About Me
Former Londoner, now living in Durham, NC since 2002.
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