Renowned surgeon calls out doctors who ‘made torture possible’
Atul Gawande responds to role of medical professionals in CIA interrogation program.
In response to the findings of a US Senate investigation into CIA interrogation tactics, one prominent US doctor took to Twitter to call out medical professionals for their role in developing the program.
Among the details revealed in the report was how the CIA paid two psychologists $81 million to help develop and implement a program of “enhanced interrogation techniques”.
Atul Gawande, a Harvard Medical School professor and journalist, wrote a 12-tweet series on Wednesday, highlighting mentions of doctors in the new report:
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, 2014
2/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, 2014
3/The torture could not proceed w/o medical supervision. The medical profession was deeply embedded in this inhumanity.
— Atul Gawande (@Atul_Gawande) December 10, 2014
4/It was doctors who devised the rectal infusions “as a means of behavior control.” (p100)
— Atul Gawande (@Atul_Gawande) December 10, 2014
5/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, 2014
6/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, 2014
7/Psychologists, who were supposed to stop damaging interrogation, actually served as interrogators. (p72)
— Atul Gawande (@Atul_Gawande) December 10, 2014
8/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, 2014
9/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, 2014
10/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, 2014
11/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, 2014
12/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, 2014