Reply #12: The sanctions were a crime against humanity.

[Warren Stupidity]

Why exactly were medical supplies embargoed?

"Some researchers say that over a million Iraqis, disproportionately children, died as a result of the sanctions, <6> although other estimates have ranged as low as 170,000 children. <4> <7> <8> UNICEF announced that 500,000 child deaths have occurred as a result of the sanctions.<9> The sanctions resulted in high rates of malnutrition, lack of medical supplies, and diseases from lack of clean water. Chlorine, was desperately needed to disinfect water supplies, but it was banned from the country due to the potential that it may be used as part of a chemical weapon. On May 10, 1996, Madeleine Albright (U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations at the time) appeared on 60 Minutes and was confronted with statistics of half a million children under five having died as a result of the sanctions. She replied "we think the price is worth it", though in her 2003 autobiography she wrote of her response (answering a loaded question): <10>"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iraq_sanctions

Pick a number there: 1,000,000, 500,000 or the lowball 170,000 dead children. Ok with that?