Denise DeGarmo https://www.policymic.com/articles/1648/for-u-s-policy-torture-is-never-acceptable/15179
The use of torture to gain intelligence is never acceptable. According
to the Universal Declaration of Human
Rights, torture is considered as a human right violation. The United States
allowed the use of torture as a way to gain intelligence knowing very well
that the use of torture violates human rights and is illegal under
international law. Vice President Dick Cheney authorized the use
of dogs, removal of clothing, hooding, stress positions, isolation for up to 30
days, 20-hour interrogations, waterboarding, deprivation of light and auditory
stimuli, use of physical coercion, and sexual humiliation were all
common torturing methods to retrieve
information from prisoners.
May 12, 2011 12:30 am http://lacrossetribune.com/news/opinion/scott-anderson-torture-is-never-an-acceptable-response/article_aad9894c-7c15-11e0-9ef1-001cc4c002e0.html
When the world
community signed the Convention Against Torture stating that without exception torture
will never be acceptable. It was said that no exceptional circumstances
whatsoever may be invoked as a justification of torture. Under international
laws torture is considered illegal and universal jurisdiction as torture is the
most serious violations of the human rights. The United States was accused of
using torture after the 9/11 event. The
torture programming lost the United States the good will of people around the
world and it was not worth information they gathered from torturing the prisoners.
In every war information and intelligence gathering take
a very important role. Some would result to torturing to get the information
they want. Torture is like war it
will never be justified. Some people say torture is a necessary thing to do to
obtain vital information you want but again it might just make the person say
what you want to hear instead of the truth. And it is never right because human
beings have an innate right to be free from harm. But in a BBC survey done of
27,000 people in 25 countires, more than 1/3 of the people says a degree of torture acceptable if it saved lives.
Most humans believe that torturing prisoners is unacceptable and wrong because it involves
putting another human being in horrible pain, suffering and fear. When someone gives in to you and surrender it
is morally wrong to put them through more pain and suffering.
Torture is acceptable at times and depending on the
situation. Actions need to be taken. Say a terrorist planted a bomb in a city
and he was currently held in custody and investigators can provide enough
evidence to prove that the person is the one that planted the bombs and the man
refuses to give the location of the bombs whereabouts. Assume torturing him
will lead to finding and diffusion of the bomb to save innocent people. In this
situation torture can be justififed.
