PHR Student Blog

Boston Area Readers: PHR Invites You to a Public Forum:

WHEN THE STATE MAKES DEMANDS:

MEDICAL PROFESSIONALISM, DUAL LOYALTY, AND HUMAN RIGHTS

THURSDAY, MAY 12, 7 P.M.

Carl W. Walter Amphitheater
260 Longwood Avenue
Tosteson Medical Education Center
Harvard Medical School

This program is presented by Harvard Medical School, Physicians for Human Rights, and the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.

Featured Speakers:

• Holly G. Atkinson, MD, Past President, Physicians for Human Rights
• Robert Jay Lifton, MD, Lecturer in Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, and Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Psychiatry and Psychology, The City University of New York
• Jonathan H. Marks, BCL, Professor of Bioethics, Humanities, and Law and Affiliate Law Faculty, Pennsylvania State University Dickenson School of Law, and Edmond J. Safra Research Fellow, Edmond J. Safra Center for Ethics, Harvard University
• Robert N. Proctor, PhD, Professor of History of Science, Stanford University

The history of the Holocaust teaches us that in Nazi Germany, the state relied on the support of medical professionals to implement its eugenics program and ultimately enable genocide. The history also reminds us of the pressures that health care workers can face and the need for vigilance to protect health and human dignity as well as the needs of society.

Join the Holocaust Museum as experts in medical ethics, psychology, and the history of medicine delve into the history and lessons of the Holocaust for physicians and explore the difficult ethical questions that medical practitioners face in today’s society.

Panel Moderator

• Mildred Solomon, EdD, Associate Clinical Professor of Medical Ethics, Department of Global Health and Social Medicine, Harvard Medical School; Associate Clinical Professor of Anesthesia, Children’s Hospital Boston; and Director of the Fellowship in Medical Ethics, Harvard Medical School

The program is free and open to the public. Reservations are requested; register online or contact the Museum’s New England Regional Office at 202.488.6585 or newengland@ushmm.org.

Parking information and directions.

Boston Area Readers: PHR Invites You to a Public Forum:

WHEN THE STATE MAKES DEMANDS:

MEDICAL PROFESSIONALISM, DUAL LOYALTY, AND HUMAN RIGHTS

THURSDAY, MAY 12, 7 P.M.

Carl W. Walter Amphitheater
260 Longwood Avenue
Tosteson Medical Education Center
Harvard Medical School

This program is presented by Harvard Medical School, Physicians for Human Rights, and the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.

Featured Speakers:

• Holly G. Atkinson, MD, Past President, Physicians for Human Rights
• Robert Jay Lifton, MD, Lecturer in Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, and Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Psychiatry and Psychology, The City University of New York
• Jonathan H. Marks, BCL, Professor of Bioethics, Humanities, and Law and Affiliate Law Faculty, Pennsylvania State University Dickenson School of Law, and Edmond J. Safra Research Fellow, Edmond J. Safra Center for Ethics, Harvard University
• Robert N. Proctor, PhD, Professor of History of Science, Stanford University

The history of the Holocaust teaches us that in Nazi Germany, the state relied on the support of medical professionals to implement its eugenics program and ultimately enable genocide. The history also reminds us of the pressures that health care workers can face and the need for vigilance to protect health and human dignity as well as the needs of society.

Join the Holocaust Museum as experts in medical ethics, psychology, and the history of medicine delve into the history and lessons of the Holocaust for physicians and explore the difficult ethical questions that medical practitioners face in today’s society.

Panel Moderator

• Mildred Solomon, EdD, Associate Clinical Professor of Medical Ethics, Department of Global Health and Social Medicine, Harvard Medical School; Associate Clinical Professor of Anesthesia, Children’s Hospital Boston; and Director of the Fellowship in Medical Ethics, Harvard Medical School

The program is free and open to the public. Reservations are requested; register online or contact the Museum’s New England Regional Office at 202.488.6585 or newengland@ushmm.org.

Parking information and directions.

Boston Area Readers: PHR Invites You to a Public Forum:

WHEN THE STATE MAKES DEMANDS:

MEDICAL PROFESSIONALISM, DUAL LOYALTY, AND HUMAN RIGHTS

THURSDAY, MAY 12, 7 P.M.

Carl W. Walter Amphitheater
260 Longwood Avenue
Tosteson Medical Education Center
Harvard Medical School

This program is presented by Harvard Medical School, Physicians for Human Rights, and the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.

Featured Speakers:

• Holly G. Atkinson, MD, Past President, Physicians for Human Rights
• Robert Jay Lifton, MD, Lecturer in Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, and Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Psychiatry and Psychology, The City University of New York
• Jonathan H. Marks, BCL, Professor of Bioethics, Humanities, and Law and Affiliate Law Faculty, Pennsylvania State University Dickenson School of Law, and Edmond J. Safra Research Fellow, Edmond J. Safra Center for Ethics, Harvard University
• Robert N. Proctor, PhD, Professor of History of Science, Stanford University

The history of the Holocaust teaches us that in Nazi Germany, the state relied on the support of medical professionals to implement its eugenics program and ultimately enable genocide. The history also reminds us of the pressures that health care workers can face and the need for vigilance to protect health and human dignity as well as the needs of society.

Join the Holocaust Museum as experts in medical ethics, psychology, and the history of medicine delve into the history and lessons of the Holocaust for physicians and explore the difficult ethical questions that medical practitioners face in today’s society.

Panel Moderator

• Mildred Solomon, EdD, Associate Clinical Professor of Medical Ethics, Department of Global Health and Social Medicine, Harvard Medical School; Associate Clinical Professor of Anesthesia, Children’s Hospital Boston; and Director of the Fellowship in Medical Ethics, Harvard Medical School

The program is free and open to the public. Reservations are requested; register online or contact the Museum’s New England Regional Office at 202.488.6585 or newengland@ushmm.org.

Parking information and directions.

Boston Area Readers: PHR Invites You to a Public Forum:

WHEN THE STATE MAKES DEMANDS:

MEDICAL PROFESSIONALISM, DUAL LOYALTY, AND HUMAN RIGHTS

THURSDAY, MAY 12, 7 P.M.

Carl W. Walter Amphitheater
260 Longwood Avenue
Tosteson Medical Education Center
Harvard Medical School

This program is presented by Harvard Medical School, Physicians for Human Rights, and the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.

Featured Speakers:

• Holly G. Atkinson, MD, Past President, Physicians for Human Rights
• Robert Jay Lifton, MD, Lecturer in Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, and Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Psychiatry and Psychology, The City University of New York
• Jonathan H. Marks, BCL, Professor of Bioethics, Humanities, and Law and Affiliate Law Faculty, Pennsylvania State University Dickenson School of Law, and Edmond J. Safra Research Fellow, Edmond J. Safra Center for Ethics, Harvard University
• Robert N. Proctor, PhD, Professor of History of Science, Stanford University

The history of the Holocaust teaches us that in Nazi Germany, the state relied on the support of medical professionals to implement its eugenics program and ultimately enable genocide. The history also reminds us of the pressures that health care workers can face and the need for vigilance to protect health and human dignity as well as the needs of society.

Join the Holocaust Museum as experts in medical ethics, psychology, and the history of medicine delve into the history and lessons of the Holocaust for physicians and explore the difficult ethical questions that medical practitioners face in today’s society.

Panel Moderator

• Mildred Solomon, EdD, Associate Clinical Professor of Medical Ethics, Department of Global Health and Social Medicine, Harvard Medical School; Associate Clinical Professor of Anesthesia, Children’s Hospital Boston; and Director of the Fellowship in Medical Ethics, Harvard Medical School

The program is free and open to the public. Reservations are requested; register online or contact the Museum’s New England Regional Office at 202.488.6585 or newengland@ushmm.org.

Parking information and directions.

Boston Area Readers: PHR Invites You to a Public Forum:

WHEN THE STATE MAKES DEMANDS:

MEDICAL PROFESSIONALISM, DUAL LOYALTY, AND HUMAN RIGHTS

THURSDAY, MAY 12, 7 P.M.

Carl W. Walter Amphitheater
260 Longwood Avenue
Tosteson Medical Education Center
Harvard Medical School

This program is presented by Harvard Medical School, Physicians for Human Rights, and the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.

Featured Speakers:

• Holly G. Atkinson, MD, Past President, Physicians for Human Rights
• Robert Jay Lifton, MD, Lecturer in Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, and Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Psychiatry and Psychology, The City University of New York
• Jonathan H. Marks, BCL, Professor of Bioethics, Humanities, and Law and Affiliate Law Faculty, Pennsylvania State University Dickenson School of Law, and Edmond J. Safra Research Fellow, Edmond J. Safra Center for Ethics, Harvard University
• Robert N. Proctor, PhD, Professor of History of Science, Stanford University

The history of the Holocaust teaches us that in Nazi Germany, the state relied on the support of medical professionals to implement its eugenics program and ultimately enable genocide. The history also reminds us of the pressures that health care workers can face and the need for vigilance to protect health and human dignity as well as the needs of society.

Join the Holocaust Museum as experts in medical ethics, psychology, and the history of medicine delve into the history and lessons of the Holocaust for physicians and explore the difficult ethical questions that medical practitioners face in today’s society.

Panel Moderator

• Mildred Solomon, EdD, Associate Clinical Professor of Medical Ethics, Department of Global Health and Social Medicine, Harvard Medical School; Associate Clinical Professor of Anesthesia, Children’s Hospital Boston; and Director of the Fellowship in Medical Ethics, Harvard Medical School

The program is free and open to the public. Reservations are requested; register online or contact the Museum’s New England Regional Office at 202.488.6585 or newengland@ushmm.org.

Parking information and directions.

Boston Area Readers: PHR Invites You to a Public Forum:

WHEN THE STATE MAKES DEMANDS:

MEDICAL PROFESSIONALISM, DUAL LOYALTY, AND HUMAN RIGHTS

THURSDAY, MAY 12, 7 P.M.

Carl W. Walter Amphitheater
260 Longwood Avenue
Tosteson Medical Education Center
Harvard Medical School

This program is presented by Harvard Medical School, Physicians for Human Rights, and the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.

Featured Speakers:

• Holly G. Atkinson, MD, Past President, Physicians for Human Rights
• Robert Jay Lifton, MD, Lecturer in Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, and Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Psychiatry and Psychology, The City University of New York
• Jonathan H. Marks, BCL, Professor of Bioethics, Humanities, and Law and Affiliate Law Faculty, Pennsylvania State University Dickenson School of Law, and Edmond J. Safra Research Fellow, Edmond J. Safra Center for Ethics, Harvard University
• Robert N. Proctor, PhD, Professor of History of Science, Stanford University

The history of the Holocaust teaches us that in Nazi Germany, the state relied on the support of medical professionals to implement its eugenics program and ultimately enable genocide. The history also reminds us of the pressures that health care workers can face and the need for vigilance to protect health and human dignity as well as the needs of society.

Join the Holocaust Museum as experts in medical ethics, psychology, and the history of medicine delve into the history and lessons of the Holocaust for physicians and explore the difficult ethical questions that medical practitioners face in today’s society.

Panel Moderator

• Mildred Solomon, EdD, Associate Clinical Professor of Medical Ethics, Department of Global Health and Social Medicine, Harvard Medical School; Associate Clinical Professor of Anesthesia, Children’s Hospital Boston; and Director of the Fellowship in Medical Ethics, Harvard Medical School

The program is free and open to the public. Reservations are requested; register online or contact the Museum’s New England Regional Office at 202.488.6585 or newengland@ushmm.org.

Parking information and directions.

Following PHR’s calls for the release of detained doctors and medical staff in Bahrain, nine doctors were reportedly freed. According to PHR’s sources in the field, eight female doctors and one male doctor were released late yesterday evening.

Doctors in Bahrain have been disappearing as part of a systematic attack on medical staff, as detailed in PHR’s recent report, “Do No Harm: A Call for Bahrain to End Systematic Attacks on Doctors and Patients.” Many of the medical professionals are being held incommunicado in unknown locations and on Tuesday the government of Bahrain charged 47 medical staff with trying to overthrow the regime.

Last month, PHR launched the campaign, Bahrain Free the Docs. The campaign has called for the release of detained medical staff and for the government of Bahrain to end violations of medical neutrality, a principle enshrined in international law and international humanitarian law which dictates noninterference with medical professionals in times of civil unrest and conflict. In the weeks following, PHR released a report, PHR members wrote letters to the Crown Prince of Bahrain calling for the release of the doctors and PHR joined with prominent medical associations to call for the Crown Prince of Bahrain to cease the attacks on medical staff. The campaign resulted in widespread media coverage including pieces on CNN and in The New York Times as well as the US State Department expressing concern about the violations of medical neutrality in Bahrain.

While PHR celebrates with the families of those released yesterday, we continue to call on the government of Bahrain to free the remaining physicians and stop their attacks on health professionals.

Following PHR’s calls for the release of detained doctors and medical staff in Bahrain, nine doctors were reportedly freed. According to PHR’s sources in the field, eight female doctors and one male doctor were released late yesterday evening.

Doctors in Bahrain have been disappearing as part of a systematic attack on medical staff, as detailed in PHR’s recent report, “Do No Harm: A Call for Bahrain to End Systematic Attacks on Doctors and Patients.” Many of the medical professionals are being held incommunicado in unknown locations and on Tuesday the government of Bahrain charged 47 medical staff with trying to overthrow the regime.

Last month, PHR launched the campaign, Bahrain Free the Docs. The campaign has called for the release of detained medical staff and for the government of Bahrain to end violations of medical neutrality, a principle enshrined in international law and international humanitarian law which dictates noninterference with medical professionals in times of civil unrest and conflict. In the weeks following, PHR released a report, PHR members wrote letters to the Crown Prince of Bahrain calling for the release of the doctors and PHR joined with prominent medical associations to call for the Crown Prince of Bahrain to cease the attacks on medical staff. The campaign resulted in widespread media coverage including pieces on CNN and in The New York Times as well as the US State Department expressing concern about the violations of medical neutrality in Bahrain.

While PHR celebrates with the families of those released yesterday, we continue to call on the government of Bahrain to free the remaining physicians and stop their attacks on health professionals.

Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) today released an emergency report which documents and decries systematic human rights abuses in Bahrain. For the first time, the report, “Do No Harm: A Call for Bahrain to End Systematic Attacks on Doctors and Patients,” provides forensic evidence of attacks on physicians, medical staff, patients and unarmed civilians with the use of bird shot, physical beatings, rubber bullets, tear gas and unidentified chemical agents. The report was featured on several major news outlets including the Associated Press, AFP, BBC, CNN, the Independent, New York Times, and Washington Post.

The report details systematic and coordinated attacks against medical personnel, as a result of their efforts to provide unbiased care for wounded protestors. These attacks violate the principle of “medical neutrality” and are grave breaches of international law which dictates noninterference with medical services in times of civil unrest. Included in the violations were targeted kidnappings, beatings, and threats of rape and killing by security officials. These attacks extended to the patients of medical personnel created an atmosphere of fear which dissuaded patients from seeking care.

The report concludes with policy recommendations for Bahrain, the Unites States and the international community. Among other calls for action, PHR demands for Bahrain to immediately cease and desist all attacks on medical personnel and facilities. PHR also calls on the Obama Administration to lead an international effort to appoint a Special Rapporteur on Violations of Medical Neutrality through the United Nations Human Rights Council.

A letter to the Editor on immigration, by PHR’s Asylum Program Director, Christy Fujio, appeared on April 1 in the New York Times.

To the Editor:
Re “Southern Lawmakers Focus on Illegal Immigrants” (news article, March 26):

The overreaching attempts of lawmakers in several states to “fix” perceived immigration problems are shortsighted and dangerous. Many proposals, including those that would bar undocumented people from attending college or marrying United States citizens, are alarmingly reminiscent of the segregation laws that plagued our country and set an embarrassingly recent precedent for institutionalized discrimination.

South Carolina’s proposed bill, which would make it illegal to transport immigrants anywhere, including to a hospital, is particularly egregious because it could effectively deny critically needed medical care to thousands of people. This not only threatens the health of individuals, but also the public health of the entire state.

Additionally, it would place emergency medical technicians in the untenable position of having to act as immigration enforcement officers rather than healers. Health professionals’ first duty is to provide their patients with the best care possible; they cannot do that if the state forces them into an enforcement role.

CHRISTY FUJIO
Asylum Program Director
Physicians for Human Rights
Cambridge, Mass., March 26, 2011