California becomes first state to pass anti-torture resolution; RHR-NA key supporter

Rachel Kahn-Troster | 08/18/2008

On August 13th, the California State Legislature passed Senate Joint Resolution 19, which makes California the first state in the nation to condemn the use of torture in the 'War on Terror', and helps protect California health care professionals by informing them of their legal and ethical obligations to 'do no harm'.  The support of many key human rights organizations, including RHR-NA, was key to this success. The resolution includes psychologists in its scope.

Read more about the resolution.   

The resolution, authored by Senator Mark Ridley-Thomas and co-sponsored by The American Friends Service Committee, Physicians for Social Responsibility-Los Angeles, and the Los Angeles Program for Torture Victims-sends a strong signal that health professionals must be removed from circumstances and settings that do not conform to internationals standards of treatment, and we must end the complicity of health professionals in prisoner abuse by re-affirming the ethics of California's professional medical organizations.

The resolution calls on the state of California to request that the U.S. government remove California health professionals from settings that do not meet international standards of moral, humane, and legal conduct, and also gives health care professionals a legal reference to remove themselves from abusive situations should they have to contravene the orders of a military superior.

Organizations Involved

Agape Int'l Spiritual Center; ACLU Southern California; AFSC San Francisco; All Saints Church; American Medical Students Association; California Council of Churches; Center for Justice and Accountability, San Francisco; Center for Victims of Torture; Evangelicals for Human Rights; Fuller Theological Seminary; Human Rights Watch; Institute for Redress and Recovery, San Jose; Interfaith Communities United for Justice and Peace; Islamic Shura Council of Southern California; Network of Spiritual Progressives (Tikkun); Physicians for Human Rights; Progressive Christians Uniting; Psychologists for Social Responsibility; Physicians for Social Responsibility--Bay Area; Rabbis For Human Rights; Survivors International; The Regas Institute; Southern Christian Leadership Conference; Amnesty International L.A.; United Methodist Board of Church and Society; Progressive Democrats of L.A.           

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The death penalty as part of the anti-torture campaign

Submitted by Shloime on Mon, 09/22/2008 - 09:40.

Shalom. California, unfortunately, is one of the many states that has the death penalty, its successful state legislation against torture notwithstanding. Execution -- the deprivation of life -- is very definitely a form of torture. Rabbis for Human rights should initiate a discussion about the death penalty, and it should definitely be part of the December conference.

Tomorrow, on Sept 23, someone is likely to be executed in Georgia even though there is no evidence that he murdered anyone. His name is troy Davis, and you can easily learn about him on the net. This is apart from the overall question of the death penalty, which I oppose.

I intend to raise the issue of the death penalty as an issue for Rabbis for Human rights. I'm surprised it isn't part of the RHR human rights campaign.

Shloime Perel (Montreal)