Clearly, restricting one's ability to breathe is torture. Just to keep the argument simple. n/t

[grahamhgreen]

[Duer 157099]

1. Even easier - there have been deaths

It don't get much clearer than that

[Fresh_Start]

2. two very good points

which we shouldn't forget

[TheCoxwain]

3. so is physical abuse .. no slapping - no hitting

[midnight]

4. Remember how our insurance co. operate. If insurance co.

can ignore vital signs for life, so can our military. Case in point-pain is considered one of the fifth vital signs in making medical assessments. Insurance co. say it is not medically necessary to treat pain.

This legislative mandate is consistent with state and federal concerns regarding appropriate pain
management for all persons. The Veterans Administration has adopted similar policies, referring to
pain as the fifth vital sign.http://www.rn.ca.gov/pdfs/regulations/npr-b-27.pdf

These are the other four.

Vital Signs
What are vital signs?
Vital signs are measurements of the body's most basic functions. The four main vital signs routinely monitored by medical professionals and healthcare providers include:

body temperature
pulse rate
respiration rate (rate of breathing)
blood pressure (Blood pressure is not considered a vital sign, but is often measured along with the vital signs.)http://www.healthsystem.virginia.edu/uvahealth/adult_cardiac/vital.cfm

[Occam Bandage]

5. Why?

If it's because "restricting someone's ability to breathe induces panic," then wouldn't it be simpler to say "inducing panic is torture?"

Not that I disagree that it is torture--I believe it is--but I'm not sure why you found this particular level of specificity to be the simplest.

[grahamhgreen]

6. Because it is not an intellectual argument. It is self evident. May I demonstrate? Volunteers?