HIV+ Children Used as Guinea Pigs

Stop – hold – evidently this was a hoax story. Main text greyed out – links remain.

HIV positive children – some only a few months old – are enrolled in toxic experiments without the consent of guardians or relatives. In some cases where parents have refused to give children their medication, they have been placed in care. The city’s Administration of Children’s Services (ACS) does not even require a court order to place HIV kids with foster parents or in children’s homes, where they can continue to give them experimental drugs.

So essentially because they have been removed from their biological parents (for whatever reason) – the state can decide that they are usable as guinea pigs.

Thanks, BBC – God knows you’d never hear this story in American media.

(via TalkLeft)

Added: Discussion on MeFi.


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3 responses to “HIV+ Children Used as Guinea Pigs”

  1. Brad Avatar
    Brad

    I was outraged when I saw the headline. Then I read the article and realized it really doesn’t say much… either a reporter who sucks at his job or one who is trying to make a story out of nothing. “without the consent of guardians or relatives” – Wrong. When children are placed into foster care, the Children Service Agency becomes the custodian. To be placed in foster care, the parents must be found by a court to be unfit or unable to adequately parent. Should such health care decisions be left to parents who have already neglected their children? And aren’t all HIV drugs experimental? There is no cure, and the long term effects of all used drugs are unknown and they all have side effects. Are these drugs working / helping? The article doesn’t say. It looks like this has been going on for some time – I doubt they are killing the children and continuing. What’s the alternative, no drugs? That option doesn’t seem to be working very well in Africa.
    “ACS does not even require a court order to place HIV kids with foster parents or in children’s homes, where they can continue to give them experimental drugs.” This statement is misleading – read it carefully. Does ACS need a court order to place HIV kids in foster care? Absolutely. ACS cannot assume custody without proving to a court that the child is abused or neglected. To do otherwise would violate due process. Does ACS need a court order to make health care decisions for the children in their custody? Of course not.
    Maybe there’s a problem, maybe not.

  2. JC Avatar

    That is infuriating!

  3. Andy Avatar

    Great points Brad – I just still find it nuts to do this kind of research on children since they can’t give consent. It just seems sort of convenient to use these kids how have been shuttled through the system through neglect and to expose them to further exploitation.

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