NUREMBERG

The Nuremberg Code was written by two Americans in 1947 after Nazi doctors were brought to trial and condemned for horrific crimes of human medical experimentation. It was designed to ensure that future medical procedures were done only with voluntary and informed consent of patients. However, while the ideals of the Nuremberg Code have been extremely influential in American medicine post World War II, the United States government and specific American medical institutions have not always followed the Nuremberg Code to the letter. 

 

For example, the lack of ability for U.S. government institutions such as the FDA to monitor the activities of Pharmaceutical Companies outside the U.S. resulted in several Pharma companies performing unethical experimentation on patients in foreigm countries such as India and former Soviet republics. Furthermore, a document from the Oregon Legislature cited that today, almost no child receives compensation when they are hurt by vaccines due to a previous 1986 federal vaccine compensation program being gutted by other federal agencies. 

 

Also, during the Cold War, the CIA was reported to have conducted secret experiments with biological and chemical agents meant to alter human behavior such as LSDs without patient’s consent, which led to many deaths and serious health consequences. It was not until an executive order passed in 1982 that such CIA experiments were forbidden.

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References

 

George J. Annas, Mengele's Birthmark: The Nuremberg Code in United States Courts, 

           7 J. Contemp. Health L. & Pol'y 17 (1991)

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Oregon State Legislature Oregon Legislative Information. (2019). Written testimony for 

           opposing HB 3063. Retrieved from 

           https://olis.oregonlegislature.gov/liz/2019R1/Downloads/CommitteeMeetingDocu

           ment/168089 

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Public Broadcasting Service. (2006, January 30). The Nuremberg Trials. PBS. Retrieved 

           from https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/films/nuremberg/ 

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Shtilman, Y. (2009, April 1). Pharmaceutical drug testing in the former Soviet Union: 

           Contract research organizations as broker-dealers in an emerging testing ground 

           for America's big pharma. LIRA@BC Law. Retrieved from 

           https://lira.bc.edu/work/ns/4d91313d-c6b4-418b-9f98-54b63fccf833