A report sponsored by the American Bar Association in 2007 concluded that one-third of
African-American death row inmates in Philadelphia would have received sentences of life imprisonment if they had not been African-American.
They are being used by certain states to medicalize executions in order to make them more palatable to the American public and to prevent capital punishment from being declared unconstitutional because it is “cruel and unusual punishment.” Legislating that physicians must be present at executions uses these physicians as pawns or means in order to legitimize capital punishment. This not only violates the rights of these physicians but violates the basic ethical principles of the medical profession and distorts the physicians’ role in society. …show more content…
The AMA’s position on physician participation in executions, which embodies the spirit of the Hippocratic Oath, is quite clear that “a physician, as a member of a profession dedicated to preserving life when there is hope of doing so, should not be a participant in a legally authorized execution. A physician participation at executions violates the basic tenet of the Hippocratic Oath and the position of the AMA, not to mention similar positions of other medical societies, physicians continue to participate and it is expected that their involvement will only increase in the future. both the American Nursing Association and the American Academy of Physician Assistants prohibit member participation in executions on ethical ground
Personal and societal values seem to trump their professional values. However, these arguments fall apart when examined and scrutinized from an ethical
African-American death row inmates in Philadelphia would have received sentences of life imprisonment if they had not been African-American.
They are being used by certain states to medicalize executions in order to make them more palatable to the American public and to prevent capital punishment from being declared unconstitutional because it is “cruel and unusual punishment.” Legislating that physicians must be present at executions uses these physicians as pawns or means in order to legitimize capital punishment. This not only violates the rights of these physicians but violates the basic ethical principles of the medical profession and distorts the physicians’ role in society. …show more content…
The AMA’s position on physician participation in executions, which embodies the spirit of the Hippocratic Oath, is quite clear that “a physician, as a member of a profession dedicated to preserving life when there is hope of doing so, should not be a participant in a legally authorized execution. A physician participation at executions violates the basic tenet of the Hippocratic Oath and the position of the AMA, not to mention similar positions of other medical societies, physicians continue to participate and it is expected that their involvement will only increase in the future. both the American Nursing Association and the American Academy of Physician Assistants prohibit member participation in executions on ethical ground
Personal and societal values seem to trump their professional values. However, these arguments fall apart when examined and scrutinized from an ethical