{"id":294607,"date":"2025-05-12T12:00:25","date_gmt":"2025-05-12T11:00:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/?p=294607"},"modified":"2025-05-12T01:17:02","modified_gmt":"2025-05-12T00:17:02","slug":"psychologists-must-condemn-this-assault-on-human-and-civil-rights","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/2025\/05\/psychologists-must-condemn-this-assault-on-human-and-civil-rights\/","title":{"rendered":"Psychologists Must Condemn This Assault on Human and Civil Rights"},"content":{"rendered":"

Some personal reflections on the profession of psychology and our responsibilities as we approach 100 days of authoritarian cruelty and corruption.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Psychologists in the United States represent a range of backgrounds and areas of expertise. But I believe we all share the recognition that\u00a0protecting human and civil rights<\/a>\u00a0is essential \u2014 not only for the well-being of individuals and communities worldwide, but also for the survival of our democracy. This is why, as a profession, we must not be silent as we witness and experience the devastation that is unfolding in so many critical arenas where psychology-informed principles, research, and practice apply. Examples include all of the following:<\/p>\n

*The heartless offensive against the right to healthcare, including\u00a0cuts<\/a>\u00a0to insurance coverage,\u00a0misinformation<\/a>\u00a0about vaccines, and the\u00a0defunding<\/a>\u00a0of medical research necessary to advance the treatment of life-altering and life-threatening illnesses<\/p>\n

*Racism-fueled<\/a>\u00a0attacks<\/a>\u00a0on the principles and policies of\u00a0diversity, equity, and inclusion<\/a>, subverting progress toward greater opportunity for marginalized and disadvantaged groups<\/p>\n

*The tyrannical\u00a0undermining<\/a>\u00a0of our\u00a0education system<\/a>\u00a0and of support for the free inquiry and independent scholarship that are foundational to our institutions of higher learning<\/p>\n

*Crackdowns<\/a>\u00a0against students and faculty who non-violently exercise their free speech rights in an effort to defend vulnerable communities around the world<\/p>\n

*The strangling of funding for\u00a0scientific research<\/a>, the gold standard for\u00a0advancing knowledge<\/a>\u00a0as a means to alleviate suffering and improve the quality of life for millions<\/p>\n

*The unconscionable support for and participation in the\u00a0merciless<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0inhumane<\/a>\u00a0aggression against desperate civilian populations under siege<\/p>\n

*Implementation of a cruel and brutal program of\u00a0mass deportations<\/a>, one that traumatizes immigrants and upends families and futures<\/p>\n

*The pursuit of\u00a0restrictions on voting rights<\/a>\u00a0that will deprive millions \u2014 especially women and people of color \u2014 of the opportunity to fully participate in elections that are central to the preservation of democracy itself<\/p>\n

*The\u00a0assault<\/a>\u00a0on the LGBTQIA+ community, especially\u00a0transgender individuals<\/a>\u00a0by denying them appropriate medical treatment and the right to live their lives fully and authentically<\/p>\n

*Imposition of draconian restrictions on reproductive rights, including the further curtailing of access to\u00a0abortion<\/a>,\u00a0contraception<\/a>, and relevant educational\u00a0resources<\/a><\/p>\n

*The authoritarian discrediting of\u00a0judges<\/a>, intimidation of\u00a0law firms<\/a>, non-compliance with\u00a0court orders<\/a>, and targeting of\u00a0political adversaries<\/a>, all undermining our legal system as a source of protection from government corruption and overreach<\/p>\n

*The autocratic\u00a0offensive<\/a>\u00a0against a free press and independent media that will deprive people of access to valuable reporting and analysis for better understanding the world<\/p>\n

*Oppressive attacks on the welfare of workers \u2014 including instituting\u00a0mass layoffs<\/a>, denying them the benefits of\u00a0unionization<\/a>, and subjecting them to\u00a0unfair labor practices<\/a>\u00a0\u2014 that diminish their standard of living<\/p>\n

*The abandonment of science-based efforts to curb the destructive effects of\u00a0climate change<\/a>, endangering future generations and today\u2019s most vulnerable communities<\/p>\n

*The disruption of trust and cooperation with international\u00a0allies<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0institutions<\/a>, thereby threatening crucial treaties, diminishing access to\u00a0humanitarian aid<\/a>, and encouraging heightened militarism and\u00a0lawlessness<\/a>\u00a0here and around the world<\/p>\n

*The reinstatement of the federal\u00a0death penalty<\/a>, an inhumane practice with a long history of\u00a0discrimination<\/a>\u00a0against people of color<\/p>\n

This is not an exhaustive list, but the sources of distress I have highlighted demonstrate the breadth and depth of the current onslaught against values and priorities that we as psychologists hold dear.<\/p>\n

As individuals, our circumstances vary widely. At times as fraught as these, those of us who are less burdened by personal or career perils must embrace the heightened responsibilities that come with our privilege. Our professional associations should do the same, recognizing that they fell woefully short during the \u201cwar on terror\u201d when our government and its national security establishment violated the most basic standards of human decency.<\/p>\n

The fundamentals of our profession call upon us to pursue justice and to cherish human dignity in its diverse forms. Let us therefore join in solidarity and community with all who share these concerns, committing ourselves to collective resistance, reparative action, and resolute support for those whose voices have been muffled or silenced.<\/p>\n

—<\/p>\n

Roy J. Eidelson, Ph.D.<\/strong>, is President of the Society for the Study of Peace, Conflict, and Violence (APA Division 48; www.peacepsychology.org<\/a>), a member of the Coalition for an Ethical Psychology (www.ethicalpsychology.org<\/a>), and Past President of Psychologists for Social Responsibility. He is also a member of the TRANSCEND Global Network for Peace and Development. Explore his work at www.royeidelson.com<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Some personal reflections on the profession of psychology and our responsibilities as we approach 100 days of authoritarian cruelty and corruption. \u00a0 Psychologists in the United States represent a range of backgrounds and areas of expertise. But I believe we all share the recognition that\u00a0protecting human and civil rights\u00a0is essential \u2014 not only for the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":294608,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[40],"tags":[273,260,487,504,651,304,985],"class_list":["post-294607","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-transcend-members","tag-healing","tag-history","tag-human-rights","tag-international-relations","tag-justice","tag-science","tag-social-justice"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/294607","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=294607"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/294607\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":294654,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/294607\/revisions\/294654"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/294608"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=294607"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=294607"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=294607"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}