PHR today sent a letter to the California State Legislature in support of the Ridley-Thomas Resolution, which mandates that state licensing agencies for health professionals inform their membership that participation in US national security interrogations violates their ethical obligations and could result in the loss of their state license to practice in California.
The resolution also directs health professional associations to warn health professionals that those involved in torture or cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment of detainees could be liable to prosecution. Additionally, the Ridley-Thomas Resolution calls on the Department of Defense and the intelligence services to remove all health professionals from any role in support of interrogations of suspected terrorists.
The New York State Legislature is also considering a similar resolution, which PHR strongly supports.