Enhanced Interrogation, Consequential Evaluation, and Human Rights to Health

Benedict S. B. Chan*

*Corresponding author for this work

    Research output: Contribution to journalJournal articlepeer-review

    1 Citation (Scopus)
    98 Downloads (Pure)

    Abstract

    Balfe argues against enhanced interrogation. He particularly focuses on the involvement of U.S. healthcare professionals in enhanced interrogation. He identifies several empirical and normative factors and argues that they are not good reasons to morally justify enhanced interrogation. I argue that his argument can be improved by making two points. First, Balfe considers the reasoning of those healthcare professionals as utilitarian. However, careful consideration of their ideas reveals that their reasoning is consequential rather than utilitarian evaluation. Second, torture is a serious human rights abuse. When healthcare professionals become involved in enhanced interrogation, they violate not only human rights against torture but also human rights to health. Considering the consequential reasoning against human rights abuses, healthcare professionals’ involvement in enhanced interrogation is not morally justified. Supplementing Balfe’s position with these two points makes his argument more complete and convincing, and hence it can contribute to the way which shows that enhanced interrogation is not justified by consequential evaluation.

    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)455–461
    Number of pages7
    JournalJournal of Bioethical Inquiry
    Volume16
    Issue number3
    Early online date5 Jul 2019
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - Sept 2019

    Scopus Subject Areas

    • Health(social science)
    • Health Policy

    User-Defined Keywords

    • Consequential evaluation
    • Enhanced interrogation
    • Healthcare professionals
    • Human rights to health
    • Torture
    • Utilitarianism

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