NY MOVES TORTURE BILL

new york state is jumping into the national debate on the cia's use of torture with a bill that would outlaw new york licensed physicians from participating in torture. assembly member richard gottfried and state sen. tom duane, who chair their respective health committee, sponsored the bill. despite the debate over classifying waterboarding as torture, gottfried said that those who have licenses to heal should not assist police officers, prison guards or cia agents in inflicting pain. "this bill would protect patients in the community from having their bodies put in the hands of people who had misused their medical education, training and license in that way," gottfried said in a statement. the legislation was recently reported out of the assembly's higher education committee, which has jurisdiction over professional licensure. the bill is reportedly the first of its kind in the nation. "at the very least," gottfried said, "the state would be taking a clear moral stand."