Tuesday, October 30, 2007

On Physician Assisted Torture



Too few American medical students receive adequate instruction about military medical ethics and a physician's ethical duties under the Geneva Conventions, say Harvard Medical School researchers.

They surveyed students at eight medical schools across the United States and found that 94 percent had received less than one hour of instruction about military medical ethics.

Among their other findings:

Only 37% of medical students could correctly identify that the Geneva Conventions apply irrespective of whether war had formally been declared.

33.8% didn't know that the Geneva Conventions state that physicians should "treat the sickest first, regardless of nationality."

37% didn't know that the Geneva Conventions prohibit ever threatening or demeaning prisoners, or depriving them of food or water for any length of time.

33.9% couldn't state when they would be required to disobey an unethical order from a superior.

More after the click ...

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