Coleman v. Lantz
Encyclopedia
Coleman v. Lantz, is a Connecticut
superior court case that addresses the constitutionality of forcibly feeding prison inmates on hunger strikes.
national who was sentenced to eight years in state prison in 2005 for sexually assaulting his wife. She had alleged rape two days after Coleman had applied for custody of their children and he was convicted without any physical evidence being presented at the trial. He is appealing the conviction and argues his wife falsely accused him of rape
in order to gain custody of their children. In 2007, Coleman stopped eating solid foods to protest what he perceived as corruption in the Connecticut legal system. A year later, he started to refuse liquids and nutritional supplements as well.
The medical director of the prison in which Coleman was jailed, Dr. Edward Blanchette, ordered that Coleman be forcibly fed against his wishes. He had Coleman strapped down without any sedation and forced a feeding tube through the inmate's nose into his stomach--after multiple tries which Coleman claims were painful and bloody. In response, Coleman agreed to stop his hunger strike
. He then sued for a right to turn down force feeds.
and physicians against the Connecticut prison system. The University of Pennsylvania's Arthur Caplan
, who testified for Coleman at the trial, wrote in the Harford Courant:
New York University's Jacob M. Appel
has called for the revocation of the medical licenses of physician involved in Coleman's force feeding including Blanchette.
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
superior court case that addresses the constitutionality of forcibly feeding prison inmates on hunger strikes.
Background
The plaintiff in the case, William B. Coleman, is a BritishUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
national who was sentenced to eight years in state prison in 2005 for sexually assaulting his wife. She had alleged rape two days after Coleman had applied for custody of their children and he was convicted without any physical evidence being presented at the trial. He is appealing the conviction and argues his wife falsely accused him of rape
False accusation of rape
A false accusation of rape is an accusation, formal or informally made against another individual or individuals concerning a forcible sexual assault. Detailed investigations using differing samples and methodologies have found widely differing results ranging from as high as 41% to as low as 1.5%...
in order to gain custody of their children. In 2007, Coleman stopped eating solid foods to protest what he perceived as corruption in the Connecticut legal system. A year later, he started to refuse liquids and nutritional supplements as well.
The medical director of the prison in which Coleman was jailed, Dr. Edward Blanchette, ordered that Coleman be forcibly fed against his wishes. He had Coleman strapped down without any sedation and forced a feeding tube through the inmate's nose into his stomach--after multiple tries which Coleman claims were painful and bloody. In response, Coleman agreed to stop his hunger strike
Hunger strike
A hunger strike is a method of non-violent resistance or pressure in which participants fast as an act of political protest, or to provoke feelings of guilt in others, usually with the objective to achieve a specific goal, such as a policy change. Most hunger strikers will take liquids but not...
. He then sued for a right to turn down force feeds.
Trial
Coleman and the ACLU of Connecticut presented their case to Judge James Graham. The court later granted the prison's injunction to allow force feeding.Significance
The Coleman case has pitted several of the nation's leading bioethicistsBioethics
Bioethics is the study of controversial ethics brought about by advances in biology and medicine. Bioethicists are concerned with the ethical questions that arise in the relationships among life sciences, biotechnology, medicine, politics, law, and philosophy....
and physicians against the Connecticut prison system. The University of Pennsylvania's Arthur Caplan
Arthur Caplan
Arthur L. Caplan, Ph.D., is Emmanuel and Robert Hart Professor of Bioethics and director of the Center for Bioethics at the University of Pennsylvania. Prior to coming to Penn in 1994, Caplan taught at the University of Minnesota, the University of Pittsburgh, and Columbia University. He was the...
, who testified for Coleman at the trial, wrote in the Harford Courant:
New York University's Jacob M. Appel
Jacob M. Appel
Jacob M. Appel is an American author, bioethicist and social critic. He is best known for his short stories, his work as a playwright, and his writing in the fields of reproductive ethics, organ donation, neuroethics and euthanasia....
has called for the revocation of the medical licenses of physician involved in Coleman's force feeding including Blanchette.