posted on April 10: South African doctor discusses ethics, human rights in medical practice
Wendy Orr was the first doctor employed by the South African government to break the silence surrounding the police torture and assault of political detainees.
A powerful, inspiring speaker, Orr is invited by the Department of Family Medicine in the Faculty of Health Sciences, to share her experiences in a lecture April 10.
The Department of Family Medicine presents the 4th Annual Carl Moore Lectureship in Primary Care on April 10, 2002 at 4:30 p.m.
The lecture will be held in the Health Sciences Centre, Room 1A1, with overflow seating available in Room 1A5.
Orr, who is director of the transformation and employment equity unit at the University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, will discuss human rights issues in South Africa and draw parallels to current political situations in other countries.
In 1985, early in her medical career, Orr had the life-changing experience of working as a district surgeon in the prison system in Port Elizabeth.
At a time when the struggle against apartheid oppression was reaching a peak and the state suppression of resistance was growing increasingly brutal, she witnessed the torture and assault of political detainees and the refusal of other professionals to acknowledge what was going on.
Putting her career and safety at risk, Orr successfully approached the Supreme Court of South Africa to grant an urgent interdict to prevent police from abusing and assaulting detainees.
Orr encountered the 'doctor's human rights dilemma' both personally during her work as a district surgeon and more systematically and officially during her time as a commissioner on the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission, when she convened the 1997 TRC hearings into the role of the health sector in human rights abuses in apartheid South Africa.
The politicization of health and human rights is a dangerous reality. Orr brings an essential, hard-won perspective to ethical dilemmas faced each day by health professionals in North America and around the world.
Her courage and tenacity in embracing an unexpected role sets an important example for professionals and students in many disciplines, and particularly the health sciences.
Orr's visit is a rare opportunity to understand the challenges faced by health professionals worldwide and to reflect on the importance of a human rights perspective in medicine.
The annual Carl Moore Lectureship in Primary Care honours Carl Moore who was chair of the Department of Family Medicine from 1975 to 1985 and a leader in innovation in family medicine and primary care throughout his career.
Following the lecture, a period of reflection will be led by Lori Edey, chaplain and Faculty development co-ordinator, with music provided by Homer Yang on violin.
Orr will participate in several academic activities with the Department of Family Medicine during her visit. She will lead a seminar on leadership for residents and young faculty at McMaster, and facilitate a session for a limited number of undergraduate health sciences students.
