There are four primary reasons to ban torture

1. Torture is morally wrong. Torture is incompatible with American values, and throughout our history the United States joined other free and democratic countries in international efforts to outlaw it.

2. Torturing our enemies puts our troops at greater risk. Military officers and former prisoners of war like John McCain understand that abusing prisoners in US custody places our servicemen and women at greater risk of meeting the same fate should they fall into the hands of the enemy in this conflict and in the future.

3. Torture doesn't work. Abusive interrogations often produce unreliable and inaccurate information because a detainee will tell an interrogator anything to make the pain stop - regardless if it is true.

4. Prisoner abuses exact a terrible toll on America in the war of ideas. A final victory in the current conflict can only be achieved if we prevail on the battlefield and in the war of ideas. Our ideas and our values are defined through our actions. The torture and abuse of prisoners in US custody will inevitably become public. When it does, the cruel actions of a few darken the reputation of our country in the eyes of millions.

By enacting the Anti-Torture Amendment we will send an unequivocal message to our troops, our allies, and even to our enemies: torture is wrong - no matter what.