The AMA was founded in part to establish the first national code of medical ethics. Today the Code is widely recognized as authoritative ethics guidance for physicians through its Principles of Medical Ethics interpreted in Opinions of AMA’s Council on Ethical and Judicial Affairs that address the evolving challenges of contemporary practice.
Physicians have an obligation to assist in the administration of justice. Physicians who testify as fact witnesses in legal claims involving a patient they have treated must hold the patient’s medical interests paramount.
Physicians have civic duties, but medical ethics do not require a physician to carry out civic duties that contradict fundamental principles of medical ethics, such as the duty to avoid doing harm. In limited circumstances, physicians can ethically participate in court-initiated medical treatments.
As a member of a profession dedicated to preserving life when there is hope of doing so, a physician must not participate in a legally authorized execution.
Questions about the propriety of physician participation in interrogations and in the development of interrogation strategies may be addressed by balancing obligations to individuals with obligations to protect third parties and the public. The further removed the physician is from direct involvement with a detainee, the more justifiable is a role serving the public interest. When physicians have reason to believe that interrogations are coercive, they must report their observations to the appropriate authorities.
Torture refers to the deliberate, systematic, or wanton administration of cruel, inhumane, and degrading treatments or punishments during imprisonment or detainment. Physicians must oppose and must not participate in torture for any reason.
