Government Use
After the act was introduced suffragettes were no longer force-fed during their time in prison, which had previously been common practice to combat the hunger strikes. Rather, suffragettes on hunger strike were kept in prison until they became extremely weak, at which point they would be released to recover. This allowed the government to claim that any harm (or even death) which resulted from the starvation was entirely the fault of the suffragette. After this, any wrongdoing on the part of the suffragette would see them put straight back in prison.
Read more about this topic: Prisoners (Temporary Discharge For Ill Health) Act 1913
Famous quotes containing the word government:
“Give me a country where it is the most natural thing in the world for a government that does not understand you to let you alone.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
“The government of the United States is a device for maintaining in perpetuity the rights of the people, with the ultimate extinction of all privileged classes.”
—Calvin Coolidge (1872–1933)