Comments on Proposed Changes to IEEE Code of Ethics 2020
Link to pending changes: https://spectrum.ieee.org/the-institute/ieee-member-+news/proposed-ieee-code-of-ethics-revisions
The following message was emailed to 2020-code-of-ethics@ieee.org .
To whom it concerns:
The opinions and views expressed in this message are my own and do not necessarily represent those of my employer or other organizations I volunteer for.
I wanted to voice my objection to the pending change:
4. to engage in lawful conduct and to reject bribery in all its forms;
There are many instances in history where lawful conduct is not ethical.
For instance:
Until 2015, it was not lawful for me to marry my husband. There are many places in the world where LGBT+ individuals are treated poorly through lawful conduct. IEEE should not be in the business of encouraging morality judgements with the code of ethics.
An additional example regarding the lawful mistreatment of LGBT+ individuals (sourced from Wikipedia CC BY-SA):
[Alan] Turing was prosecuted in 1952 for homosexual acts; the Labouchere Amendment of 1885 had mandated that "gross indecency" was a criminal offence in the UK. He accepted chemical castration treatment, with DES, as an alternative to prison. Turing died in 1954, 16 days before his 42nd birthday, from cyanide poisoning. An inquest determined his death as a suicide, but it has been noted that the known evidence is also consistent with accidental poisoning.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Turing
Additionally, America's history with the Civil Rights movement shows many instances where lawful conduct is grossly unethical. From segregation and "Jim Crow laws", it is clear that lawful conduct can be grossly unethical.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Crow_laws
In summary, the addition of "to engage in lawful conduct" to point 4 of the code of ethics should be rejected.
Sincerely,
Betsalel (Saul) Williamson