Version 1996

. L’ASSOCIAnON MIDICALE MONDIALE. INC ASOCIACION MEDICA MUNOIAL INC
THE WORLD MEDICAL ASSOCIATION, INC.
B. P. 63 – 01212 FERNEY-VOLTAIRE Cedex. France
28. avenue del Alpes· 01210 FERNEY-VOLTAIRE, France
. Telephone: 04 50 40 75 75
F.x : 04 SO 40 59 37
October 1996
Cable Address:
WOMEDAS, Ferney-Voltaire
17.130
Original: English
WORLD MEDICAL ASSOCIATION STATEMENT
ON
WEAPONS AND THEIR RELATION TO LIFE AND HEALTH
Adopted by the 48th General Assembly
Somerset West, Republic of South Africa, October 1996
PREAMBLE
J1’l~at1tU¥1edicalAssociation fWMA recoanises that when nations enter into warfare or into
The World Medical Association (WMA) recognises that when nations enter into warfare or into
weapons development, they do so for strategic reasons which are usually short term. They do
not consider the immediate or long term effects of the use of weapons on the health of
individual non-combatants within their population and on the public health as a whole, either in
the short or in the longer term.
Nevertheless the medical profession is required to deal with both the immediate and long term
effects of warfare, and in particular with the effects of the use of different forms of weapons.
DEFINITION
In considering the rote of physicians in the control of weapons-related injuries, suffering and
deaths, the WMA recognises that the effect of weapon use can be viewed as a public health
issue.
No weapon is medicaily acceptable to physicians, but physicians can aid in making effective
controls against weapons which cause injury or suffering so extreme as to invoke the terms of
International Humanitarian Law. .
The potential for scientific and medical knowledge to contribute to the development of new
weapons systems, targeted against specific individuals, specific populations or against body
systems, is considerable. This could include the development of weapons designed to target .
anatomical or physiological systems, including vision, or which use knowledqe of .human
genetic similarities and differences to target weapons. Physicians involved in research into the
effects of such weapons systems, whether as agents for weapons development companies or
for control agencies, will face extraordinary ethical challenges as their work could be used by
those who pay no regard to international law or accepted standards.
R
E
S
C
I
N
D
E
D
-2- 17.130
Although the effects of weapon use on non-combatant individuals and on groups or societies is
identifiable there are no current and commonly used criteria to measure weapons effects.
International Humanitarian Law states that weapons which cause injuries · which would
constitute “unnecessary suffering or superfluous injury” are illegal. These terms are not defined
and require interpretation against objective criteria for the law to be effective. .
Such criteria would aid lawyers in the use of International Humanitarian Law, allow assessment
of the legality of new weapons currently in development against an agreed, objective system of
assessment of their medical effects; and would identify those which would breach the Law if
developed. .
Physician involvement in the delineation of such objective criteria is essential if it is to become
part of the legal process. However, it should be recognised that physicians are opposed to any
use of weapons against human beings.
RECOMMENDATION:
The WMA believes that the development, manufacture and sale of weapons for use againA
human beings is abhorrent. To support the prevention and reduction of weapons injuries thT
WMA:
(1) supports international efforts, involving the International Committee of the Red
Cross and others, to define objective criteria which would measure the effects of
current and future weapons, and which could be used to stop the development,
manufacture, sale and use of weapons;
(2) recognises that modern medicine depends upon the continuous development of
technology and insists that this technology must not be abused or diverted into
weapons development; . .m– – .—I”””” .. c- ••• _.
technology and insists that this technology must not be abused or diverted into
weapons development;
(3) calls on national medical associations to urge national govemments to cooperate
with the collection of such data as are necessary for establishing objective criteria;
(4) calls on national medical associations to support and encourage research into the
global puofic health effects of weapons use, and to publlclse the results of that research
both nationally and internationally to ensure that both the public and governments are
aware of the long term health consequences of weapons use on non-comb4
individuals and populations. . ” .
R
E
S
C
I
N
D
E
D