On the Legality of Waterboarding

War is undoubtedly one of the largest fronts under which unethical practices are carried out. Historically, both prisoners and soldiers have unwillingly and unknowingly been used as human guinea pigs, testing anything from nuclear fallout to mustard gas. While we would like to think the mistakes of the past are long gone, such ethically questionable practices still exist today. Take for example the case of waterboarding. Waterboard is a process wherein a prisoner is strapped to a board and has water poured into their mouth and breathing passages. This simulates the experience of drowning and elicits a gag reflex instantaneously, causing severe psychological pain to the victim. The experience is so severe and real that some victims could no longer take showers or walk in the rain. Although waterboarding does not necessarily cause permanent physical damage, it can lead to lung or brain damage or death.

Currently, President Bush is defending the use of waterboarding in obtaining information from captives. Although torture is illegal according to the Geneva Conventions, Bush's administration has redefined what constitutes torture to exclude waterboarding, rendering it lawful (it is now an 'enhanced interrogation technique'). The use of torture to obtain information can be a tricky issue. In times of war, if one side is using torture to obtain information and the other side is not, the side using torture will naturally gain an information advantage. However, this should not be an issue in modern times, when the U.S. has the strength to lead the world without resorting to practices such as waterboarding. In fact, the U.S. has been setting a worldwide example for over 200 years by habitually treating captives with humanity and dignity. There's no reason why this should change now.

Articles:
http://www.catholic.org/diocese/diocese_story.php?id=27616
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/apr/18/usa.terrorism