The facts of the case have become painfully clear - a man was killed by the State of Oklahoma in a fashion that first led to unspeakable pain and suffering. This is government-sanctioned torture, and it was clear by all news accounts that many in the State, including members of the State Supreme Court, understood what was about to happen.
I must repeat that: government-sanctioned torture. Within our borders. Without secrecy, without "black ops sites". On one of our citizens. Presided over by government officials.
As if this wasn't tragic and cause for sufficient outrage, I must confess there is another aspect to the case that I find equally stunning and massively disturbing.
The silence from organizations that should not be silent.
Follow below for a brief exploration of what can only be considered a completely shameful situation.
I am a physician. I entered the ranks of healthcare providers with great pride some 15 years ago, taking the hippocratic oath and truly believing in the words "first do no harm". I was thrilled to be entering an honorable profession, with the goal of doing good in the world by always erring on the side of life, and advocating for individuals who needed healing.
With this brief background, I have a simple question:
Where is the American Medical Association?
Several hundred thousand physicians in the country pay annual dues to an organization called the American Medical Association (AMA), a group whose mission statement reads:
Mission:
To promote the art and science of medicine and the betterment of public health.
This statement, pulled from their website, also includes the following:
AMA will build on its legacy of leading physician ethics, setting standards for medical education, and advancing medical science to serve as the premier voice for the core values of the medical profession.
On the issue of US government sponsored executions, as far as I can tell, the AMA has been almost silent. Could I be wrong? Is there a statement on executions put out by AMA leaders at some point this past year? I am an avid reader of news and current events, so if there has been such a statement or such advocacy, it must be remarkably quiet. The AMA has shown depressingly timid behavior in the past on issues that veer towards politics; state-sanctioned intrusion into the physician's office over pregnancy ultrasounds for women seeking abortion is one deplorable example. The torture of a US citizen, supported by the government, should not be considered political.
From my perspective, the case in Oklahoma is a bright line. Whatever one's opinions on the death penalty before this disaster, surely this must rip the scab off a festering wound. Surely this man's torture and death must motivate medical leaders to say "enough".
So far, silence. Silence on the AMA website, silence in the media from AMA leaders, silence from AMA advocacy. To be fair, the AMA has a longstanding policy against physicians participating in executions. However, a physician did participate in the Oklahoma debacle. And a policy statement is not enough. Asking physicians to avoid participation is not enough.
An organization of physicians, all of whom took an oath to alleviate human suffering and advocate for patients, watching as torture is performed before our eyes.
It is yet early; perhaps the AMA president or other leaders will make a statement this week, perhaps they will yet appear on television shows and decry executions in our nation. I am not holding my breath.
Utterly shameful.
UPDATE May 1st at 10 AM: Thanks for the rec list! I am glad to see the meaty conversation my post has provoked, and I'm also glad to see that it has been (mostly) a very civil discussion of the ethics/principles of capital punishment. Whatever opinion one has on the topic, this is an important discussion to have.