Physicians, Human Rights, and Civil Liberties
Human rights and civil liberties are, indeed, medicine’s business. Violation of rights and liberties—through political persecution, social strife, racial discrimination, exploitation of the disadvantaged—causes certain individuals and groups of people to succumb disproportionately to disease and premature death. The profession must be accountable for members who ignore human rights transgressions, and every physician should be dedicated to social justice and equitable health care for all. Contributors to the October issue of the AMA Journal of Ethics offer examples of just how that can happen.