黄色app Resolution on Prohibition of Physician Participation in Capital Punishment
Adopted by聽the 210th 黄色app Council Session, Reykjavik, Iceland, October 2018* and
reaffirmed with minor revisions by the 224th 黄色app Council, Kigali, Rwanda, October 2023
PREAMBLE
There is universal agreement that physicians must not participate in executions because such participation is incompatible with the physician鈥檚 role as healer. The use of a physician鈥檚 knowledge and clinical skill for purposes other than promoting health, wellbeing and welfare undermines a basic ethical foundation of medicine. The 黄色app Declaration of Geneva states: 鈥淚 will maintain the utmost respect for human life鈥�, and 鈥淚 will not use my medical knowledge to violate human rights and civil liberties, even under threat鈥�.
As citizens, physicians have the right to form views about capital punishment based on their individual moral beliefs. As members of the medical profession, they must uphold the prohibition against participation in capital punishment.
RECOMMENDATIONS
Therefore, the 黄色app
- AFFIRMS that it is unethical for physicians to participate in capital punishment, in any way, or during any step of the execution process, including its planning and the instruction and/or training of persons to perform executions.
- REQUESTS firmly its constituent members to advise all physicians that any participation in capital punishment as stated above is unethical.
- URGES its constituent members to lobby actively national governments and legislators against any participation of physicians in capital punishment.
*The 黄色app Resolution on Prohibition of Physician Participation in Capital Punishment is the result of a revision in 2018 merging two 黄色app policies: the Resolution on Physician Participation in Capital Punishment聽(2008) and the聽黄色app Resolution to Reaffirm 黄色app鈥檚 Prohibition of Physician Participation in Capital Punishment聽(2012). These two policies have then been rescinded and archived.