Posted on Nov 19, 2014
Ethical to require Navy nurses to force feed Guantanamo prisoners? Punish if they won't?
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Should the Army administratively punish an Navy nurse who, for ethical reasons, refused to force feed Guantanamo prisoners?
Via the Navy Times: "The American Nurses Association is urging the military not to punish a Navy nurse who refused to take part in the force feeding of prisoners on hunger strike at the Guantanamo Bay naval base."
The American Medical Association considers it a breech of the core values of the medical professions to force feed prisoners.
I'm glad I was never put in that position: I wasn't a nurse in the Navy, but if I were I don't think I could have participated either.
http://www.navytimes.com/story/military/pentagon/2014/11/19/guantanamo-navy-nurse/19285009/
https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/694196-hunger-strikers-letter-04-25-13.html
Via the Navy Times: "The American Nurses Association is urging the military not to punish a Navy nurse who refused to take part in the force feeding of prisoners on hunger strike at the Guantanamo Bay naval base."
The American Medical Association considers it a breech of the core values of the medical professions to force feed prisoners.
I'm glad I was never put in that position: I wasn't a nurse in the Navy, but if I were I don't think I could have participated either.
http://www.navytimes.com/story/military/pentagon/2014/11/19/guantanamo-navy-nurse/19285009/
https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/694196-hunger-strikers-letter-04-25-13.html
Medical
Ethics
Navy
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 7
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PO1 Autumn Sandeen. We do have an obligation to preserve the health and well being of our prisoners. I am also not at all certain feeding specifically constitutes a medical procedure under the jurisdiction of any professional organization. Traditionally, feeding is routinely performed by non-medical personnel. Warmest Regards, Sandy
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I feel for the nurse in this situation. As a health care provider you want to do what you feel is best for your patient both mentally and physically. Sometimes the patient's religious beliefs and personal choices interfere with that process.
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For this situation I'm going to use the pro-abortion argument, "It's my body and I have the right to decide what to do with it." In the case of abortion the Supreme Court of the United States ruled women have the right to choose to have an abortion because it is their body.
It only stands to reason that under that guideline, a person has the right to decide if they want to refuse to eat. It would seem our obligation to feed a detainee is to provide them nutritional meals. If they refuse to eat what is provided, then that should be their choice.
When we are seriously ill or injured, we have the right to refuse medical care that could save our lives. This has been upheld by the courts.
It only stands to reason that under that guideline, a person has the right to decide if they want to refuse to eat. It would seem our obligation to feed a detainee is to provide them nutritional meals. If they refuse to eat what is provided, then that should be their choice.
When we are seriously ill or injured, we have the right to refuse medical care that could save our lives. This has been upheld by the courts.
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SPC David Willis
Huge difference between an American woman who wants to make her own choice and someone detained for terrorism though. I don't believe terrorists and US citizens not currently under any criminal investigation should be treated the same.
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These prisoners are being denied the right to refuse treatment. The AMA and ANA question the ethics of denying a prisoner to deny treatment, and so do I.
As I said in my initial post in this thread, I'm glad I was never put in the ethical position this Navy nurse was; I agree with the ANA in believing this nurse shouldn't be punished for following what he saw as the unethical force feeding of Guantanamo prisoners.