273259 A review of U.S. military policy and human rights

Monday, October 29, 2012 : 12:30 PM - 12:48 PM

Victor W. Sidel, MD , Professor of Social Medicine, Albert Einstein Medical College, Montifiore Medical Center, Bronx, New York, NY
Barry S. Levy, MD, MPH , Adjunct Professor of Public Health, Tufts University School of Medicine, Sherborn, MA
United States military policy violates human rights in a number of ways. This presentation will describe four of them: (a) The use of armed drones to assassinate persons labeled as "terrorists", and the resultant deaths and nonfatal injuries to others; (b) diversion of human and financial resources away from programs and activities that support health, both in the United States and in other countries; (c) human rights violations related to the ongoing war in Afghanistan, including attacks on noncombatant civilians and forcing noncombatants out of their homes and communities; and (d) detention of suspected terrorists in conditions that impair their physical and mental health and abrogate their civil liberties, including their right to a speedy trial. Public health workers can influence U.S. military policy to better protect human rights.

Learning Areas:
Advocacy for health and health education
Ethics, professional and legal requirements
Public health or related public policy

Learning Objectives:
Describe four of the ways in which U.S. military policy violates human rights. Describe roles that public health workers can play to influence U.S. military policy to better protect human rights.

Keywords: Human Rights, War

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: Drs. Sidel and Levy are Past-Presidents of APHA and have over 20 years experience working on issues of war, terrorism, and public health. Both have spoken and written extensively on these issues, including co-editing four books on these topics and writing approximately 50 papers and book chapters on them.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.