For this discussion, read the article “Bad Blood:  A Case Study of the Tuskegee Syphilis Project”, watch the video “The Deadly Deception” (both are posted in Moodle following this assignment) and answer the questions below. Reference your posting with 1-2 references to validate your point.

 From 1940-1972, the U.S. Public Health Service conducted what is now known as the Tuskegee Syphilis Study.  The experiment involved 399 men from rural Alabama infected with syphilis. Study subjects were poor, African-American sharecroppers.  The reported goal of the study was to examine the progression of untreated syphilis in African-Americans. At the end of the study, 28 men died from syphilis, 100 died from complications related to syphilis, 40 men had infected their wives, and 19 children were born with congenital syphilis. 

This study resulted in changes in research standards.  One result was The National Research Act of 1974, which mandated the creation of Institutional Review Boards to govern research at institutions receiving federal funding.  It also resulted in the Belmont Report, which set ethical standards and principles for research. 

Read the designated article, watch the video affiliated with this assignment, and answer the following questions in your discussion:

This study is a landmark in medical ethics for numerous reasons.  Which ethical principles were violated in this study?  Give examples which occurred throughout the course of the study.

Given that the men were simply informed that the doctors were studying ‘bad blood,’ how important is it to have informed consent?

Could this project (or one similar to it involving AIDS or radiation effects) be conducted today? Why or why not?