Medical profession aided CIA torture
In a series of tweets this morning, surgeon and author Atul Gawande called out the doctors who helped the CIA torture people.
1/The Senate CIA Torture Report reveals savage, immoral, utterly despicable practices by our govt. http://t.co/qZWUNtJSeU
— Atul Gawande (@Atul_Gawande) December 10, 20142/But the worst for me is to see the details of how doctors, psychologists, and others sworn to aid human beings made the torture possible.
— Atul Gawande (@Atul_Gawande) December 10, 20143/The torture could not proceed w/o medical supervision. The medical profession was deeply embedded in this inhumanity.
— Atul Gawande (@Atul_Gawande) December 10, 20144/It was doctors who devised the rectal infusions “as a means of behavior control.” (p100)
— Atul Gawande (@Atul_Gawande) December 10, 20145/Doctors suggested the water temperature for waterboarding and use of saline instead of free water to avoid water intoxication. (p86, 419)
— Atul Gawande (@Atul_Gawande) December 10, 20146/Doctors watched as stress positions inflicted pain, lacerations, and only stopped them when producing, e.g., shoulder dislocation (70)
— Atul Gawande (@Atul_Gawande) December 10, 20147/Psychologists, who were supposed to stop damaging interrogation, actually served as interrogators. (72)
— Atul Gawande (@Atul_Gawande) December 10, 20148/The Office of Medical Services provided consultation on when fractures and wounds were healed enough to resume torture. (p113)
— Atul Gawande (@Atul_Gawande) December 10, 20149/The Office of Medical Services wrote guidelines approving up to 3 waterboard sessions in 24 hours per prisoner. (p87)
— Atul Gawande (@Atul_Gawande) December 10, 201410/When torture caused Abu Zubaydah’s eyes to deteriorate, MDs only intervened to insure ability to see was saved to aid interrogation.(112)
— Atul Gawande (@Atul_Gawande) December 10, 201411/Doctors found prisoners with broken feet and still approved putting them into standing positions for up to 52 hours (p112)
— Atul Gawande (@Atul_Gawande) December 10, 201412/Doctors were long the medical conscience of the military. The worst occurred because gov’t medical leaders abdicated that role. (p87)
— Atul Gawande (@Atul_Gawande) December 10, 2014First do no harm.
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