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Debate Surrounding Torture Essay

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The Torture Debate

Wednesday, January 22, 2014

Word Count: 983

The debate continues to intensify surrounding the issue of torture and whether or not it is a justifiable or unnecessary evil. Irrespective of its degree of acceptability, it is conclusively an inhumane practice, which violates the civil liberties of us as people. From the inception, I disagree with the use of coercion to elicit information, as I believe it compromises our humanity. Advocates of legitimizing torture proclaim that it is a controllable means with which to interrogate and obtain answers from dangerous individuals in the effort of saving innocent lives. While torture has proven to facilitate some desired outcomes in the past, its legitimacy has yet to be completely substantiated, especially in comparison to other interrogative techniques. Additionally, those not in favour of legalizing and implementing torture, also argue that torture will simply be used incompetently by the state. Realistically, the argument regarding the legitimacy of this atavistic tactic is one mostly dominated by human morals and opinions.

Throughout the article, Rumney and O’Boyle write from a very analytical and objective perspective. First they highlight and consider the legitimacy of torture as a means of extracting information. Historically, torture has been proven to provide useful information to alleviate situations and preserve the lives of innocent people (Rumney & O'Boyle, 2007). In this sense, it is unjust for someone to simply oppose torture because of ethical concerns, without considering the adverse effect their stance has on other human life. Proponents argue that under certain circumstances, it is acceptable and in fact beneficial to use torture as a means to elicit truth. in conjunction with a strong legal framework should result in the successful implementation and practice of torture

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