Letter To The Editor
Wednesday, July 19, 2006; Page A18 Washington Post
Nurses' Stand Against Detainee Abuse
Dear Editor:
Regarding the "Medical Oaths Betrayed" article by Steven H. Miles (Outlook, July 9, 2006), Dr. Miles neglects to mention the actions taken by the American Nurses Association (ANA) to know more about the possible role that RNs and other health care professionals may have played in the abuse of prisoners and detainees in Iraq and Afghanistan and at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
Most notably, ANA sent a letter to Sec. of Defense Donald Rumsfeld in February 2005 supporting further investigation into possible actions of health care professionals in the abuse of detainees at U.S. detention and interrogation facilities (see http://nursingworld.org/news/rumsfeldltr.pdf). In a letter dated Feb. 24, 2005, Gale S. Pollock, chief of the Army Nurse Corps, responding at the request of Sec. Rumsfeld, stated that, "so far, there has been no evidence of Army Nurse Corps members being involved in any inappropriate or unethical behavior in working with detainees." The letter from Major General Pollock also acknowledged ANA’s willingness to offer expertise and guidance and provided a direct point of contact should ANA need to have further dialogue.
Other direct actions ANA has taken include establishing a June 2005 resolution condemning violations concerning issues of health and human rights of prisoners and detainees, and incorporating similar language in ANA’s Code of Ethics for Nurses, which serves as a guide for U.S. registered nurses in providing care and services to patients.
It is ANA’s hope that Dr. Miles will acknowledge the association’s active involvement in this issue in the future.
Rebecca M. Patton, MSN, RN, CNOR
President, American Nurses Association