Dr. Alain A. Chaoui,
President, Massachusetts Medical Society, issues statement on the separation of children from families seeking asylum:
The Massachusetts Medical Society, representing 25,000 physicians and
medical students, stands in emphatic opposition to the separation of
asylum-seeking immigrant children from their families. These divisions
can cause permanent emotional harm to innocent
children, and we urge the administration to resolve this situation by
immediately reuniting these children with their families. We concur with
the American Academy of Pediatrics' assertion that detention facilities
are not an appropriate place for children.
As physicians, we recognize the medical harm – including anxiety,
depression and post-traumatic stress disorder – children endure while
subject to confinement can cause subsequent and chronic medical
conditions. We denounce a zero tolerance policy, which leads
to the detention of all children who are seeking asylum.
