Helsinki, or The Degradation of Moral Infrastructure

Imagine America's national morality as infrastructure. Bridges let us walk over rivers; norms let us live without hurting or annoying others. Most of this 'infrastructure' is invisible and implicit. No rule prevents you from cutting in line; you just don't do it. But some norms need to be enforced by the state. It turns out that the right has just as much respect for our moral infrastructure as it does for the physical one."

Firedoglake, reports that Bush's FDA

has just announced that it is going to scrap American participation in the Declaration of Helsinki -- the major international accord on ethical principles guiding physicians and other participants in medical research on human subjects. This isn't a decision involving mere medical bureaucracy — it in fact clears the way for ethics-free drug testing, especially beyond American borders, and it means people will die, sometimes horribly.

The shift in policy now makes it possible for American drug companies to conduct tests on human subjects (most often in Third World nations) wherein victims of particular diseases can, in the course of testing, be administered pure placebos that do nothing to help them fight those diseases, while being told they're undergoing treatment. The longstanding standards required such tests to administer the acknowledged standard treatment as the placebo.

Once again, for emphasis:

Victims of particular diseases can, in the course of testing, be administered pure placebos that do nothing to help them fight those diseases, while being told they're undergoing treatment.

Be sure to read the whole post at FireDogLake. It has some excellent background links — especially to this remarkable series of articles in The Washington Post about drug testing in the developing world.