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A Superior Court decision allowing prison doctors to continue force-feeding a hunger-striking inmate has been denounced by the ACLU of Connecticut.
Superior Court Judge Graham on March 10 ruled that prison doctors may continue to force-feed William Coleman, against his will, as long as he remains in the custody of the Department of Corrrection. Coleman, who has been on a hunger strike more than two years, has been force-fed at least twelve times since September of 2008.
“Although Judge Graham’s order makes limited provision to accommodate some of Mr. Coleman’s choices, including his living will,” the ACLU said in a press statement, “the decision is flawed at its core because it disregards the choice of a competent individual to refuse medical treatment.”
The ACLU had argued against the order on the grounds that force-feeding violated Coleman’s right to privacy, his bodily self determination and international law and standards of humane treatment. The ACLU said it “is gratified that Judge Graham decided that the state failed to meet its burden that force-feeding Mr. Coleman is necessary to meet the prison doctors’ ethical obligations.”
The ACLU of Connecticut is exploring an appeal.
Earlier stories:
ACLU-CT Condemns DOC Escalation of Inhumane Force-Feeding
Law professors' amicus brief supports Coleman
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