The Tuskegee Syphillis Experiment

The United States government is dangerous. It has always been dangerous. This simple fact is known throughout the country and no one knows it better than the African American community of Macon County, Alabama does. In 1932, the government began funding one now infamous human experiment: “Tuskegee Study of Untreated Syphilis in the Negro Male”. The researchers at the Tuskegee Institute, the site of this scandalous study, recruited six hundred black men from a quiet town in Alabama. Of the six hundred participants nearly two third were already infected with syphilis; the remaining two hundred became the control group and for the most part were in good health. For the ensuing forty years, these credulous victims—unaware of their condition—risked their health and the health of their community to participate in an experiment to investigate the long-term effects of untreated syphilis receiving only free medical examinations, meals and burial services in return ("The Tuskegee Timeline" 1). They were targeted because of their race and denied treatment for the purpose of unethical, ignominious and iniquitous surveillance. The government infringed upon the rights of the African American men as human beings by withholding information and treatment; their right to health was ripped away from them. It is the government’s responsibility to accept accountability and ensure that society is not once again interrupted by such an unnecessary scandal. The rights of the African American study subjects and the responsibilities that the government acquired because of conducting the Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment are more pertinent now than ever.

In the early 20th century, syphilis was regarded with concern because of its deadly qualities. Syphilis, a se...

... middle of paper ...

...he decisions that we make regarding those rights and responsibilities affect not only us, but also those around us; those decisions affect our families, our communities and ultimately our society. In this case, the decisions made by those involved in the Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment remain evident, not only in the African American population, but also throughout society; this controversy changed the way people thought. In the 1930s, racism and prejudice controlled society. Today, however, the goal of racial equality and unabridged morality are more highly valued. The history of the Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment provides a glimpse into ourselves through which we are able to acknowledge our flaws both as a nation and as individuals. By no means are we able to redeem ourselves completely, but we can and we must ensure that in the future history does not repeat itself.