Question

This case involved a series of studies conducted from 1963-66 at the Willowbrook State School for "mentally defective" children in New York state, in which children were infected with the hepatitis virus. The School defended this by claiming that most of these children would probably acquire hepatitis anyway given the school's crowded and unsanitary conditions. Parents did give consent for their children to be included. Further, while the studies were being conducted, the school closed to new admissions UNLESS they were participating in the study. Many parents were never adequately informed about the risks of future chronic liver disease nor about the availability of gamma globulin.

Answer 1

The Willowbrook State School case involved a series of studies conducted on mentally disabled children, infecting them with the hepatitis virus. The school defended this by claiming that the conditions of the school would likely lead to hepatitis anyway. However, many parents were not adequately informed about the risks involved.

Step-by-step explanation:

The subject of this question is the Willowbrook State School case in New York state, which involved a series of studies conducted from 1963-66 on children with mental disabilities. The school infected these children with the hepatitis virus, claiming that their unsanitary conditions would likely lead to hepatitis anyway.

Parents gave consent for their children to be included, but many were not adequately informed about the risks of chronic liver disease or the availability of gamma globulin. This case highlighted the lack of ethical guidelines in research involving human subjects and eventually led to the passage of legislation that required informed consent for scientific research projects.