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Care to the Wounded: A Core Duty of Humanity
Bouvier, Paul
Bouvier, Paul
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Abstract
In times of war and armed conflict, all parties have an obligation to provide care to the wounded and sick persons, be they from one’s own troops or from enemy groups who are hors de combat, without any distinction. This duty is a core obligation of International Humanitarian Law (IHL). In recent years, considerable attention has been devoted in philosophy, law, and political science to the treatment provided to enemies, notably in relation to global issues and terror. While interest focused on the prohibition of torture and on formulating a response to terrorism, little attention has been given to the duty to provide care for wounded or sick enemies, as if this was considered a secondary matter. It may be that this duty was considered as too obvious and widely accepted to deserve any particular attention; or, that it was hoped that the respect of this duty would naturally follow on from respecting the prohibition of extreme violence and torture. Such arguments, however, could be misleading. The duty to rescue and provide care to the wounded and sick is not a secondary, but a core component of IHL. Secondly, its scope has recently been questioned in publications on medical ethics in conflict situations. Thirdly, impartial care to wounded enemies might well be an essential step toward respecting dignity and preventing extreme violence and abuse. This short article explores some ethical aspects of this duty. Starting with the ethics of providing succor to a person in danger, it encompasses care for a wounded combatant and care to a wounded enemy, and suggests ways to address ethical challenges in this domain.
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2015-01
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With permission of the license/copyright holder