<blockquote>To torture is to strip a person not only of rights but of the humanity to which they attach. Dehumanization is torture’s definition, its prerequisite.

Is torture effective? The question is akin to asking if slavery is good economic policy or forced sterilization is an effective means of slowing population growth.</blockquote>
via <a href="http://bostonreview.net/blog/judith-levine-does-torture-work-immoral-question">"Does Torture Work?" Is an Immoral Question | Boston Review</a>.