[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 113 (Tuesday, July 26, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1409-E1410]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         INTRODUCING MEDICAL NEUTRALITY PROTECTION ACT OF 2011

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. JIM McDERMOTT

                             of washington

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, July 26, 2011

  Mr. McDERMOTT. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to introduce bipartisan 
legislation called the Medical Neutrality Protection Act of 2011. In 
times of war and civil unrest, the independence of physicians and 
health care workers are often hindered, endangering their safety and 
limiting their ability to care for the wounded. I first became aware of 
this issue back in the 1980s during the civil war in El Salvador. The 
conflict ended in the early 1990s with over 75,000 people killed, some 
of whom were medical workers who were caught in combat or working in 
refugee camps. Then, as now, I was concerned that the United States was 
not doing enough to stop government forces from harming medical 
workers, who are some of the only unbiased eyewitnesses that we have on 
the ground.
  While international humanitarian laws codify the concept of medical 
neutrality, we have seen systematic attacks against medical 
professionals by various armed forces over the last several months, 
particularly in the Middle East. Several independent human rights 
organizations--including Physicians for Human Rights and Human Rights 
Watch--have documented these abuses and are calling for more countries 
to address this disturbing trend.
  This bill elevates the protection of medical professionals as a 
policy priority for U.S. government so that countries that attack 
doctors and shut hospitals will no longer be able to carry out business 
as usual. Under this Act, the Secretary of State will be required to 
maintain and regularly update a list of countries that violate medical 
neutrality. Countries on this list will not qualify for certain 
military assistance, and government officials from the violating 
countries will not be eligible for visas to travel to the United 
States. The bill also calls for the creation of a United Nations 
Special Rapporteur on the Protection and Promotion of Medical 
Neutrality.
  The issue of protecting doctors and access to medical care is not a 
partisan issue. This is a common sense bill that fills a void in 
foreign policy.
  Mr. Speaker, Speaker, I would also like to submit a letter of support 
from Physicians for Human Rights.

                                  Physicians For Human Rights,

                                    Washington, DC, July 26, 2011.
     Hon. Jim McDermott,
     House of Representatives, Longworth House Office Building 
         Washington, DC.
       Dear Representative McDermott: Physicians for Human Rights 
     (PHR) congratulates you and Representative Walter Jones (R-
     NC) for introducing the Medical Neutrality Protection Act of 
     2011, an important bill that will protect medical neutrality 
     around the world.
       Medical professionals often risk their lives and security 
     to provide essential services, and they must be able to 
     uphold this duty to patients and others in need without fear 
     of violence, retribution, or arbitrary arrest. The importance 
     of protecting medical professionals, facilities, and 
     transport from attack makes up the foundation for the norm of 
     medical neutrality, which is firmly grounded in international 
     humanitarian law, professional codes and ethics, and 
     international human rights law. Violations of medical 
     neutrality include attacks on health care facilities, medical 
     personnel, and patients; wanton destruction of medical 
     supplies; willful obstruction of medical ethics; deliberate 
     misuse of health care facilities, services, uniforms, or 
     insignia; deliberate blocking of access to health care 
     facilities and care; and arbitrary arrest or detention of 
     medical professionals or patients.
       PHR researchers documented violations of medical neutrality 
     related to uprisings in Bahrain earlier this year including 
     the government's takeover of hospitals, intimidation of 
     patients, and arrest and prosecution of doctors as part of 
     its crackdown on popular dissent. The Medical Neutrality 
     Protection Act of 2011 would allow the United States to 
     promptly respond to such violations.
       ``Physicians for Human Rights and the medical community are 
     deeply grateful to Congressmen Jim McDermott and Walter Jones 
     for their outstanding leadership on the issue of medical 
     neutrality,'' said Dr. Robert Lawrence, Chairman of the Board 
     of Directors of Physicians for Human Rights. ``The Medical 
     Neutrality Protection Act of 2011 for the first time shines a 
     bright light on serious human rights violations which strike 
     at the heart of communities at large all over the world. The 
     act introduced today in the U.S. House of Representatives 
     makes it crystal clear that the United States will not 
     tolerate any attacks under any circumstances on medical 
     professionals, hospitals, equipment and supplies, or will 
     turn a blind eye to any interference with the ability to seek 
     medical treatment or the ability to provide it without 
     concern of politics, religious affiliation, or ethnic 
     background. We urge the U.S. Congress to pass this crucial 
     piece of legislation immediately, and call on President Obama 
     to sign it into law.''
       Thank you for taking a stand against violations of medical 
     neutrality and supporting the efforts of medical 
     professionals worldwide.
           Sincerely,
                                      Physicians for Human Rights.

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