At least since World War ll doctors have played central roles in torturing enemies of the state. The Doctors Trial at Nuremberg had as one of its most important goals to discover how it was possible for distinguished Nazi physicians to enthusiastically engage in wholesale murder and torture under the guise of “human experimentation.”

Today we must also ask: How did it happen that after 9/11, health professionals, including doctors, nurses, psychologists, and physician assistants acted as agents of the United States and its allies to utilize their medical and healing skills to cause harm and sanitize barbarous acts, similar to (though not on the scale of) how Nazi doctors were used by the Third Reich?

There is a clear parallel between the issues that arose in the Doctors’ Trial and the actions of health professionals at CIA Black Sites and military detention centers; the commonality is that in both cases, health professionals discarded their ethical obligations to prevent harm to people and instead became agents of the state. These professionals who colluded in committing torture – ignoring the Geneva Conventions and disregarding the Nuremberg principles – can reasonably be labeled as human rights outlaws. To date, no health professionals have been held accountable (except for one civil case) and the USG has not provided reparations for victims. What are the lessons the health professions should have learned from Nuremberg (and 9/11) and where do we go from here?

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