Citation

Clark PA. J. Law Med. Ethics 2006; 34(3): 570-80, 481.

Affiliation

Institute of Catholic Bioethics at Saint Joseph's University, Philadelphia, USA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2006, American Society of Law, Medicine and Ethics, Publisher John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

17144181

Abstract

Although knowledge of torture and physical and psychological abuse was widespread at both the Guantanamo Bay detention facility and Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq, and known to medical personnel, there was no official report before the January 2004 Army investigation of military health personnel reporting abuse, degradation or signs of torture. Military medical personnel are placed in a position of a "dual loyalty" conflict. They have to balance the medical needs of their patients, who happen to be detainees, with their military duty to their employer. The United States military medical system failed to protect detainee's human rights, violated the basic principles of medical ethics and ignored the basic tenets of medical professionalism.

Language: en