Inequality and the Tuskegee Syphilis Study In today’s world, it is often said that the rich get richer while the poor get poorer. Inequality is apparent in economic, social, and political realms. Classifications according to gender, race, and religion among many other factors continue to subject people to certain types of treatment. Due to the idea of America as a melting pot that allows people from many various backgrounds to succeed, the struggles placed by the system of inequality on disadvantaged groups of people are occasionally forgotten. The Tuskegee Study of Untreated Syphilis in the Negro male, more commonly known as the Tuskegee Syphilis Study, is an example of how the effects of the system of inequality can be overlooked when the
…show more content…
African American medical students rotated through the study and a committee was created by the National Communicable Disease Center (NCDC), now known as the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), to evaluate the ethics of the experiment. These particular events occurring in did not lead to the end of the study. Since the end of the Tuskegee Syphilis Study, defenses have been made to justify what had been done. One defense was regarding the effectiveness and safety of the treatment available at the time. Although arsenic and bismuth are toxic compounds they were shown effective in reducing the progression of syphilis to a later stage and were “considered less harmful than not treating” . Furthermore, this defense is invalid since the experiment continued even after penicillin was proven to be a safe and effective treatment. Another defense for the Tuskegee Syphilis Study is that the men’s “morbidity and mortality were not worse because of participation in the studies” since “no treatment would have been available to these men if they had not been part of the study”.14 This defense robs the men of the freedom of choice. Although they may not have been able to afford treatment, they should have been given the opportunity …show more content…
In a study that compared the willingness of different racial groups to participate in biomedical research studies based on knowledge of the Tuskegee Syphilis Study and the presidential apology that followed its conclusion numerous years later, it was found that blacks were “2 to 3 times more likely to have been willing to participate in biomedical studies despite having heard about the Tuskegee Syphilis Study” . This shows that many members of the black community simply believe that they are inherently at greater risk for exploitation in almost situation when compared to whites. This extrapolation from the experiment was compounded by the results that showed that knowledge of the Tuskegee Syphilis Study had the effect of making whites even less likely to participate in biomedical research when comparing the effect an awareness of the Tuskegee Syphilis Study had on blacks.15 These ideas exemplify Charon’s explanations of the acceptance of place. He noted that “people are socialized to accept the system of inequality itself” and “they are also socialized to accept their own position”. This occurs because people in power hold the resources that allow them to maintain the status quo; however, in a globalized world it is important to treat everyone with respect regardless of class, race,
African American medical students rotated through the study and a committee was created by the National Communicable Disease Center (NCDC), now known as the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), to evaluate the ethics of the experiment. These particular events occurring in did not lead to the end of the study. Since the end of the Tuskegee Syphilis Study, defenses have been made to justify what had been done. One defense was regarding the effectiveness and safety of the treatment available at the time. Although arsenic and bismuth are toxic compounds they were shown effective in reducing the progression of syphilis to a later stage and were “considered less harmful than not treating” . Furthermore, this defense is invalid since the experiment continued even after penicillin was proven to be a safe and effective treatment. Another defense for the Tuskegee Syphilis Study is that the men’s “morbidity and mortality were not worse because of participation in the studies” since “no treatment would have been available to these men if they had not been part of the study”.14 This defense robs the men of the freedom of choice. Although they may not have been able to afford treatment, they should have been given the opportunity …show more content…
In a study that compared the willingness of different racial groups to participate in biomedical research studies based on knowledge of the Tuskegee Syphilis Study and the presidential apology that followed its conclusion numerous years later, it was found that blacks were “2 to 3 times more likely to have been willing to participate in biomedical studies despite having heard about the Tuskegee Syphilis Study” . This shows that many members of the black community simply believe that they are inherently at greater risk for exploitation in almost situation when compared to whites. This extrapolation from the experiment was compounded by the results that showed that knowledge of the Tuskegee Syphilis Study had the effect of making whites even less likely to participate in biomedical research when comparing the effect an awareness of the Tuskegee Syphilis Study had on blacks.15 These ideas exemplify Charon’s explanations of the acceptance of place. He noted that “people are socialized to accept the system of inequality itself” and “they are also socialized to accept their own position”. This occurs because people in power hold the resources that allow them to maintain the status quo; however, in a globalized world it is important to treat everyone with respect regardless of class, race,