BMJ 2006;332:569 (11 March), doi:10.1136/bmj.332.7541.569-c
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Force feeding at Guantanamo breaches ethics, doctors say
Owen Dyer
London
| The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below. |
Military doctors who participate in the force feeding of detainees at the US detention facility at Guantanamo Bay who are on hunger strike are breaching established medical ethics, claims a letter signed by 262 doctors and published in this week's Lancet (2006;367: 811[Web of Science][Medline]).
The signatories, mostly from Britain, Ireland, Australia, and the United States, argue that the World Medical Association's Declarations of Tokyo and Malta specifically prohibit force feeding. The American Medical Association is a signatory to both declarations.
"Fundamental to doctors' responsibilities in attending a hunger striker is the recognition that prisoners have a right to refuse treatment," the letter states. "The UK government has respected this right even under very difficult circumstances and allowed Irish hunger strikers to die. Physicians do not have to agree with the prisoner, but they must respect their informed decision. Those breaching such guidelines should be held
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