Editor-in-Chief Shawn Kennedy speaks with author Doug Olsen about his article “Ethical Issues for Nurses in Force-Feeding Guantánamo Bay Detainees”

Doug Olsen discusses how military nurses at Guantanamo Bay face conflicting ethical imperatives and potential real world consequences over force-feeding Guantánamo Bay detainees. Military nurses are bound by the Oath of Commissioned Officers to protect their country and not simply to follow orders—in this way, their oath differs from the one taken by enlisted personnel. While officers are legally bound by the Uniform Code of Military Justice to follow orders, they are also expected to use sound judgment in assessing them—and to sometimes refuse those that are not in the best interests of the country, even if doing so means they will be held morally and legally responsible for the exceptional act of refusal. In some situations, the moral expectation to assess orders can present a conflict of fundamental values with a high potential for moral distress for the nurses involved.