Pesticide testing on disabled children?
- 18 Nov 05, 12:00 AM
Buried within the pages of the Free Market News Network site from the USA, comes this truly shocking, horrifying story: . Yes, you did read that right.
While it's important to note that this hasn't yet happened, it seems that the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is looking to change the rules by which human beings can be used for testing pesticides and various chemicals. These new rulings, it is said, contain huge loopholes that would allow chemical scientists from the government or from industry to use orphans or children with learning disabilities as human guinea pigs. A statement from the Organic Consumers Association (OCA), the body that has drawn the public's attention to these loopholes, reads:
"Children who 'cannot be reasonably consulted', such as those that are mentally handicapped or orphaned newborns may be tested on. With permission from the institution or guardian in charge of the individual, the child may be exposed to chemicals for the sake of research."
"Cannot be reasonably consulted" - now there's one hell of a scary phrase.
Currently, this is a story that doesn't seem to have gone any further than the Free Market News Network, but have you heard anything else about it - particularly if you're in America? Or is it going unnoticed by the general public? We've all heard about gaps in the law that potentially allow such worrying things to happen - let's hope that this one is jumped upon and closed via much greater clarification in the law, and that it's done as soon as possible, before any of these rulings become awful reality.
Comments
You have GOT to be kidding me. I don't think they'll possibly be allowed to, though: those insane republicans do have their uses...
Why go half-hearted about it - why not just re-introduce full-on eugenics?
Pesticides!!! Thats a bit harsh isnt it. Oh wait... Im kidding! What hang on i actually just finished the article, thats horrible.
It's back to the `useless eaters` policy, then. However, just take a look at the Scottish Executive's proposed changes to the Adults with Incapacity legislation, to allow organ donation from those who are `incapacitated`. Also, take a wee look at the overlap between the international clinical criteria for autism and the government's clinical guidelines on Munchausen's Syndrome by Proxy (MSBP), which effectively means that any stroppy parent of a child with autism can be accused of a fictitious `syndrome`, for which no research data nor peer review exists (Prof. Meadows shredded them).