Guantánamo Tour Focuses on Medical Ethics

WASHINGTON, Nov. 12 - Troubled by news accounts of medical participation in coercive interrogations at Guantánamo Bay and the resulting unease in the professional medical community, the Pentagon led an intense one-day tour of the detention camp last month, several participants said in recent days.

The purpose of the trip, some of the participants said, was for the military leadership to convince the ethicists, psychiatrists, psychologists and others who visited the detention camp at the United States Naval Station in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, that what was occurring there did not violate medical ethics and was necessary to strengthen the nation's security.

But many participants seem not to have been convinced. Dr. Steven S. Sharfstein, the president of the American Psychiatric Association, who went on the trip, said that the group's members' assembly voted unanimously on Saturday to recommend a strict code against participation in some of the activities described in news reports. Dr. Sharfstein said that the recommendation was certain to be adopted by the association's board next month, making it official policy.

He said the main concern was the use of military psychiatrists as members of Behavioral Science Consultation Teams, known as biscuit teams, to advise interrogators at Guantánamo.

"Our position is very direct," Dr. Sharfstein said. "Psychiatrists should not participate on these biscuit teams because it is inappropriate."

He said the military hosts, who included the commanding general at Guantánamo, the surgeon general of the United States and the medical personnel at Guantánamo, said they had sought to use psychiatrists and psychologists only for advice aimed at building rapport with detainees during interrogation. They said the professional advice was not used to harm detainees.

That description is at odds with some news accounts. The New York Times reported in June that former interrogators at Guantánamo had described...

The purpose of the [2005] trip, some of the participants said, was for the military leadership to convince the ethicists, psychiatrists, psychologists and others who visited the detention camp at the United States Naval Station in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, that what was occurring there did not violate medical ethics and was necessary to strengthen the nation's security. But many participants seem not to have been convinced. ***Dr. Steven S. Sharfstein,*** the president of the American Psychiatric Association, who went on the trip, said that the group's members' assembly voted unanimously on Saturday to recommend a strict code against participation in some of the activities described in news reports. Dr. Sharfstein said that the recommendation was certain to be adopted by the association's board next month, making it official policy. He said the main concern was the use of military psychiatrists as members of Behavioral Science Consultation Teams, known as biscuit teams, to advise interrogators at Guantánamo. "Our position is very direct," Dr. Sharfstein said. "Psychiatrists should not participate on these biscuit teams because it is inappropriate."

This Dr. Steven Sharfstein is the father of the Joshua Sharfstein below:

The Future of the American Medicine Cabinet - All the wrong people are excited about Obama's... Reason ^ | March 17, 2009 | Ronald Bailey All the wrong people are excited about Obama's FDA picks.Over the weekend, President Barack Obama nominated Margaret Hamburg to serve as the new commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Joshua Sharfstein to serve as principal deputy commissioner of the agency.The FDA regulates about a quarter of all the consumer products that Americans buy, which roughly equals $1 trillion. Many analysts predict that Hamburg and Sharfstein will divvy up their functions in the agency with Hamburg focusing chiefly on food issues and Sharfstein being charge of drugs and medical devices. What should we expect? To some extent, their...

Critics urge moving away from Maryland exchange (to Healthcare.gov site)WMAR-TV / The Associated Press ^ | January 6, 2014 ANNAPOLIS, Md. - Democratic and Republican critics of Maryland's troubled health exchange urged state officials on Monday to consider other options to signing up state residents for health care plans. Rep. John Delaney, a Democrat, formally asked the state's health secretary for a specific assessment of the idea of switching to the federal health exchange while Maryland's exchange is being repaired. He wrote in a letter to Dr. Joshua Sharfstein that Maryland could make the switch in whole or in part or on a temporary basis.....

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.