Campaign Against Torture

Areas of Focus

The Abuse of Hunger Strikers in US Detention Facilities

Both the World Medical Association and the American Medical Association ethical guidelines clearly state that hunger striking patients who have made informed refusals for medical intervention should not be force fed. Current U.S. military guidelines in use at Guantanamo and other U.S. detention settings permit involuntary force feeding of detainees. Involuntary force feedings have been undertaken at Guantanamo on multiple occasions, and in some reported cases appear to have been used for punishment rather than preservation of life.

PHR strongly recommends that U.S. policy be changed to be consistent with established medical ethics regarding the treatment of hunger strikers such that:

• Patient autonomy is respected and informed refusal from competent patients is honored,
• Physicians treating patients retain clinical autonomy essential to the establishment of trust, and clinical intervention is not directed by non-clinical personnel in the chain of command,
• The physician's primary obligation to the patient is honored, and
• Medical intervention is never used as punishment.

Related PHR Documents