Can Physicians Work in US Immigration Detention Facilities Can Physicians Work in US Immigration Detention Facilities While Upholding Their Hippocratic Oath

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Original Article

The modern successor to the Hippocratic oath, called the Declaration of Geneva, was updated and approved by the World Medical Association in 2017. The pledge states that “The health and well-being of my patient will be my first consideration” and “I will not use my medical knowledge to violate human rights and civil liberties, even under threat.”1 Can a physician work in US immigration detention facilities while upholding this pledge? Thereisahumanitarianemergencyat theUS-Mexico border where migrants, including families, adults, or unaccompanied children, are detained and processed by the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) CustomsandBorderPatrolandare held inovercrowdedand unsanitary conditions with insufficient medical care.2 Children (persons <18 years), without their parents or guardians, are often being detained in these detention facilities beyond the 72 hours allowed under federal law.2 


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