For Immediate Release
The New York State Assembly has passed historic legislation to prohibit the participation of health care professionals in torture and ill treatment of prisoners. The legislation would prohibit any New York licensed health care professional from undertaking these abusive acts, whether in New York, elsewhere in the US, or internationally.
"PHR applauds the leadership of Assemblymember Richard Gottfried (D-Manhattan) in securing passage of this legislation by the Assembly," said PHR Chief Executive Officer Frank Donaghue. "We also acknowledge with gratitude the many prominent New York health professionals and health professional students who successfully advocated for this action by the Assembly."
"The citizens of New York should be proud that their elected representatives have acted despite the federal government's failure to respond to the ethical and moral crisis of health professionals' complicity in torture," said Nathaniel Raymond, Director of PHR's Campaign Against Torture. "It is now up to the New York State Senate and Governor David Patterson to ensure that this landmark legislation becomes law before the legislative session is completed."
Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) is a New York-based advocacy organization that uses science and medicine to prevent mass atrocities and severe human rights violations. Learn more here.