Question

One of the outcomes of the case of Thalidomide in the U.S. was that pregnant women and women of reproductive age became a new population for regulatory and public scrutiny. In at least 200 words consider some of the possible repercussions of this regulatory/public scrutiny for this population. In your response, address the following questions: How does understanding that drugs can cross the placental barrier and act as teratogens potentially lead to blame for pregnant women or women of reproductive age? What kind of social and or moral implications could potentially come along with the scrutiny of this population?

Answer 1

Thalidomide is a medicine used to treat certain types of cancers, in overcoming complications that might occur in the recipient after an organ transplant, in treating certain skin conditions and even leprosy.

This drug became the cause of one of the darkest phases in medical history. It was used as a mild sleeping pill and was considered safe even for pregnant women. It was also subscribed to expectant mothers to control morning sickness. Later on, research and several studies worldwide proved that the use of this drug by pregnant women led to thousands of babies being born worldwide with deformed limbs.

The research was conducted on a large scale and it was revealed that a component of the drug blocks the growth of new blood vessels in the developing fetus.

In most democratic societies it is believed that public scrutiny in research, especially medical research, is a good thing because it can help researchers to understand and improve treatments of some medical conditions. In short, this might help humankind. But any such scrutiny should be followed by certain ethics like respect for the persons' privacy, the willingness of the person to become a part of the scrutiny and no mental or physical pressure on the participants.

Most pregnant women take any sort of medication only after the advice of their gynecologist so they are fairly safe from the side effects of any medicine that they are taking. Pregnant women who are in the habit of smoking or taking alcohol regularly will have to take the blame of these substances crossing the placenta and acting as teratogens and hindering the normal development of their unborn baby. If a child is born with certain congenital abnormalities which are the result of the mother's wrong lifestyle then certainly the blame will be put on the mother, especially if she knew that this would harm her baby.

Public scrutiny for research work, especially if the research will benefit mankind is not unethical at all as long as the people under scrutiny are aware of it and are willing to participate. Nothing should be hidden from them. Their privacy should be guarded so that they do not have to face any negative public behavior. People who make themselves available for scrutiny for a good cause have no need to feel any moral burden. In fact, they are sacrificing their privacy so that other people can benefit.