Medicalization of hunger strikes
Medicalization of hunger strikes
Medicalization of hunger strikes often occurs, the custodial authorities often shedding responsibility to their medical staff. Medical monitoring may be legally required after recognition of the hunger strike as such, and be more or less sophisticated according to the setting. The VIP status of the particular hunger striker may often also influence the attention received.
Physicians may have to balance objective medical observations with pragmatic face-saving situations, in the pursuit of time, essential for negotiations to produce results. On the one hand they should not seek to qualify the strictness of the fasting at all costs, and risk making either side lose face, which could lead to the breakdown of negotiations. On the other hand, they should avoid pandering to any particular interest group by giving medical testimony that is scientifically questionable or downright wrong.
turkish striker
– Nobody wants to die. We started the hunger strike because we wanted to change the system.
(Turkish hunger striker on hunger strike for 140 days)