NY Times Op-Ed Calls for Investigation of Interrogation Doctors

An Op-Ed by Len Rubenstein and Stephen Xenakis in the February 28th edition of the New York Times calls for the investigation of physicians and psychologists who oversaw waterboarding and other forms of torture during the interrogation of suspected terrorists.

Noting that the Justice Department has investigated the lawyers who authorized such techniques, Rubenstein and Xenakis note that, thus far, doctors have avoided any such official scrutiny. The few documents detailing their role that have made the public record paint a disturbing picture of lapses in medical ethics.

“Health professionals have a responsibility extending well beyond nonparticipation in torture; the historic maxim is, after all, ‘First do no harm.’ These health professionals did the polar opposite.”

The Op-Ed echoes the work done by the Institute on Medicine as a Profession investigating the role physicians have played in enhanced interrogation.

To read the complete Op-Ed, click here.

Click here to learn about IMAP’s project on Physicians’ Role in Interrogation / Dual Loyalties in Medicine.