From your original question, I kind of get this...If you don't know if it will hurt the animal or put it in danger, than why are you against it to start with? The way that people ration feed and water to calves or even give them somthing to get them to drink and eat a large amount may not be a lot different. Some folks give a drentch of nutrition to boost a calf after a long hall to a show to help with stress. Is that wrong? I was told at a county fair not too many years ago that a couple of steers died of heat exaution(not a great with spelling). The people couldn't get the calves to drink, too much stress and heat for whatever reason. Making those two calves drink may have helped them a lot, and could have saved a couple of kids a lot of heartake. Have you ever had to drentch a newborn calf? Is that wrong? I do think there are ways that it can put the animal in danger, but so can letting them go without the food and water. Does tubing a bloated calf put them in danger, YES, but just letting them lay there and die does too. I would rather fill a calf in other ways besides last minute pumping. Think about what you are realy trying to do and say while at your meeting. Maybe not a last minute forced fluid administration, but a well needed drentch could help.
