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Topic : Ethics of Hunger Strikes

GS-4 Mains  : Ethics

Hunger Strikes: A Form of Protest

• Nonviolent Resistance: Powerful tool for expressing dissent.
• Body as Canvas: Uses physical deprivation to draw attention to a cause.
• Key Features:
  • Direct defiance against authority through bodily sacrifice.
  • Focus for organizing protest when other methods unavailable.
  • Appeal to human dignity and conscience through self-starvation.

Historical Context

• Long History: Used by suffragettes, political prisoners, activists, and marginalized groups.
• Gandhi and Hunger Strikes: Meticulously planned as strategic tool for civil disobedience.
• Irom Sharmila: 16-year hunger strike against AFSPA in Manipur, India.

Moral Dilemmas

• Force-Feeding: Balancing right to autonomy vs. duty to preserve life.
• Providing Medicine: Similar ethical tension between individual choice and well-being.

Bioethical Considerations

• Human Rights and Self-Determination: Right to nonviolent protest vs. potential harm to self.
• Necropolitical Resistance: Body as a weapon for drawing attention to a cause.

Legal and Medical Perspectives

• Legal Grey Area: Balancing duty to preserve life with respect for individual autonomy.
• Medical Risks: Irreversible damage or death possible.
• Force-Feeding as Torture: Considered a human rights violation by UN.
• Medical Ethics: Hippocratic Oath vs. duty to respect patient’s decision.

Effectiveness and Symbolism

• Public Opinion: Can galvanize support and attention for a cause.
• Varying Outcomes: Success depends on media coverage, public sympathy, and government response.

Contemporary Examples

• Indian Farmers: 2021 hunger strike against agriculture reforms.
• Global Activism: Continued use for climate action, human rights, and social justice.

Conclusion

• Potent Tool: Hunger strikes remain a powerful form of protest for the unheard.
• Ethical Complexities: Raises important questions about individual rights and societal obligations.
• Desperation and Justice: Often a last resort, reflecting a deep-seated desire for change.