Posted on 03/20/2004 1:55:36 PM PST by bondjamesbond
An investigation is under way to determine whether more than 100 HIV-positive foster kids were being used as guinea pigs in medical experiments over the past 12 years, as recently reported by the New York Post.
According to the report, New York City's Administration for Children's Services assigned the children to a study (some as young as 3 months) in which they were given highly toxic and untested AIDS medications while they stayed at Manhattan's Incarnation Children's Center. The tests were conducted by doctors from Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center, which was affiliated with the ICC until 2002 and reportedly reaped financial benefits from the research.
The financial gain aside, it does seem noble to provide appropriate drugs to sick children that might not otherwise receive them. Still, a few questions remain that demand an answer. For example, what specific authority supervised this treatment of children who had no parent to provide consent? What of individual tolerance, safety and toxicity of the drugs? And ultimately, who could the children call for help, comfort or even relief if researchers hurt them, made them cry or sick?
In 1983, the department of Health and Human Services issued specific regulations governing research on children (45 C.F.R. 46, Subpart D). The regulations allow only four kinds of research with special provision for wards of the state:
1) Research with no more than minimal risk is permitted.
2) Research with more than minimal risk is permitted if it is to benefit the child.
3) Research with a minor increase over minimal risk is permitted if it is likely to produce general knowledge about the child's condition that will benefit others.
4) Research not meeting the three conditions above but which a panel of experts determines will present a reasonable opportunity to understand, prevent or alleviate serious problems affecting the health and welfare of children is permitted.
Children who are wards of the state can be included in approved research only under the condition that an independent and qualified advocate for each child is appointed to act in the best interests of the child while participating in the research.
Unfortunately, these categories are open to a rather wide range of interpretation. Worse, they are not strictly enforced. According to the Post report, one biochemist reviewed the AIDS drugs administered to the children at ICC. He concluded that alone or in combination, as they often were administered, the drugs had acute toxicity that could be fatal. He also said side effects could include severe liver damage, cancerous tumors, severe anemia, life-threatening rashes and muscle wasting. A pediatric nurse at ICC from 1989 to 1993 also said she witnessed vomiting, diarrhea, neurological effects and death. So on the one hand, these effects surely qualify as much greater than minimal risk. On the other hand, there is no official word of any resulting benefits.
Sadly, this isn't the first time New York authorities have launched an investigation into questionable research on its children....
(Excerpt) Read more at worldnetdaily.com ...
I'm still shakin' in my boots...
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