Doctors to let foreigner starve herself

[shira]

Norwegian medical professionals have decided to allow a 31-year-old female asylum seeker from Palestine to continue her hunger strike at Arendal Hospital, southern Norway.

more...
http://theforeigner.no/pages/news/doctors-to-let-foreigner-starve-herself-/

In Norway, they just let Palestinian hunger strikers die. Israel's not involved so the world yawns.

[azurnoir]

1. well that's just awful that Norway is following its own laws

from your OP

The hospital’s Per Engstrand says that it must be the woman who makes the decision over whether to begin to eat.

"In relation to the way the law is, I think it's the right conclusion. However, both doctors and family members try to persuade her to take nourishment”.

Engstrand told NRK that the woman’s husband wants to give her food but this would go against the decision and the law.

"Norwegian law is very clear that autonomy, or self-determination, means a lot. Meanwhile, health care professionals are trained to save the patient's life and ensure that the patient lives as long as possible. Legislation is very much in conflict with ethical rules," he concluded.

http://theforeigner.no/pages/news/doctors-to-let-foreigner-starve-herself-/

much unlike Israel who when the cameras were on them made a deal with the prisoners and then when the cameras left-

Outrage as Israel breaks prisoner agreement

Prisoner rights group Addameer on Thursday said it was outraged by Israel's decision to renew the administrative detention of a former hunger striker.

Hassan Safadi ended a 71-day hunger strike on May 14 after Israel promised not to renew his detention without charge or trial.

Israel's decision to renew Safadi's administrative detention by six months "is a blatant violation of the agreement between the prisoners’ hunger strike committee and Israeli officials," Addameer said.

Safadi went on hunger strike on March 5 in protest against his detention without charge. Thousands more joined the protest which ended on May 14 in a deal between prisoners and Israeli officials.

http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=497473


now I would have more problem with Norway not giving her and her family asylum but that part doesn't seem to concern you all too much

[shira]

6. So if Israel were to allow a Palestinian or a Sudanese asylum seeker to die of hunger...

...you would presumably react the same way as you are doing now WRT this woman in Norway?

[azurnoir]

7. Depends on whether they were part of the prision system or not

and what Israels laws regarding medical rights are in this type of cases and how they are being applied

[MrSlayer]

2. Norway is one of the greatest countries in the world.

Why should anyone intervene when the person in question wants to kill herself? I admire that about them. Hell, they'll even help you do it.

There's a difference between letting someone who wants to die, die and running someone over with a bulldozer or shooting them for throwing rocks.

Or was there a case of this happening in Israel and everyone went nuts in them for it?

[LeftishBrit]

4. I think the reference is to a recent mass hunger strike by Palestinian prisoners in Israel.

I don't think the two cases are comparable however; there will inevitably be much more reporting of a mass hunger strike than of one person on hunger strike.

I agree about Norway being a great country in general (if I didn't dislike cold winters so much, I might have considered emigrating there), but like most countries in Europe including the UK, it is very restrictive toward asylum seekers, and this seems to be one example.

[shira]

5. The world press was all over Islamic Jihad hunger strikers. But silent WRT this Palestinian woman.

It couldn't be more obvious.

The Islamic Jihadists wanted to die just as much as this woman. If Israel had just given them that right, just as Norway is doing WRT this woman, what do you think world reaction would have been?

What other way is there to look at this other than a double-standard? The lives of 2 Islamic Jihadists in Israel are more important somehow than the life of a Palestinian woman in Norway.

======

Now think about what you're defending.

Suppose a Sudanese immigrant were to go on hunger strike and Israel allows her to die. This Palestinian in Norway is the equivalent to that. You really think the world press and NGO's would yawn @ both cases?

[Swede]

8. How do you run someone over with a bulldozer?

They go like 5 mph.

[MrSlayer]

10. You must not work construction.

I assure you they go a lot faster than that. Your point would be valid if we were talking about a steamroller. Heh.

[Swede]

11. 10 mph is not that fast.

nt

[MrSlayer]

12. Why are we even discussing this?

It's the least important part of anything that was said here.

[LeftishBrit]

3. Two different issues here

One is the issue of allowing her to continue her hunger strike. Here, you're between the devil and the deep blue sea. If she is allowed to continue her hunger strike, she may die. But the alternative is forcible feeding, which some might consider as a form of torture. I tend to agree with the Norwegians in general terms: people who are not clearly incompetent mentally should be allowed autonomy over their own bodies.

The other is the fact that she was refused asylum at all. While I do not know the details of the case, I know that Europaean countries (and probably others; I just know most about Europe) tend to be be excessively harsh toward asylum seekers.

[kayecy]

9. I agree with you......What is the relevance of this article to the I-P conflict?.....n/t