By SCP Staff
Posted on September 18, 2011 – SCP’s Code of Ethics1 calls for members to not be involved in any aspect of execution of the death penalty. The National Commission on Correctional Health Care, American Medical Association, and other professional organizations likewise enjoin physicians from participating in executions. On the other hand, it has been argued that poorly done executions needlessly hurt the condemned2, and that physicians can ethically participate in executions based on principle of beneficence.
The SCP position that correctional physicians should not participate in any way in executions is based on two connected arguments. First, the fundamental argument of primum non nocere (first, do no harm) applies. This argument is also based on the principle of beneficence.3 Participation in executions places physicians into the role of doing the ultimate harm to a patient. Connected is the notion that correctional physicians must maintain a healthy distance, as much as possible, from the enforcement of punishment; being perceived as a punisher cannot help but create barriers that are harmful to patient care. Physicians must maintain an appropriate professional relationship with their patients.4 The doctor-patient relationship is damaged or destroyed when a physician participates in the societally enforced death of a patient. This effect is true both for individual providers and for the entire health services group.
Physician participation in inmate executions has inspired controversy in the national news of late5, for good or ill. SCP past-presidents have recently met to review and consider restating SCP’s standard on physician participation in executions. Your input would be most welcome.
Email your opinions to either editor@corrdocs.org or Mike Puerini, Chair of the Policy committee at ssnag@yahoo.com.
