Thaindian News

WASHINGTON, D.C. (BNO NEWS) — The U.S. government on Friday apologized to Guatemala for conducting a scientific study in the 1940s in the Central American country that involved infecting people with sexually transmitted diseases.

The State Department issued its apology through a joint statement by Secretary Hillary Clinton and Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius after Susan Reverby of Wellesley College recorded the incident in an article following the discovery of the documents at the University of Pittsburgh.

“The sexually transmitted disease inoculation study conducted from 1946-1948 in Guatemala was clearly unethical,” the statement said.

“Although these events occurred more than 64 years ago, we are outraged that such reprehensible research could have occurred under the guise of public health. We deeply regret that it happened, and we apologize to all the individuals who were affected by such abhorrent research practices.”

According to the study, over 700 people in Guatemalan prisons, mental hospitals, and military forces were encouraged to have unprotected sex after being visited by prostitutes who had previously been infected with gonorrhea or syphilis. The investigation was conducted to review the affect of penicillin in the treatment of these diseases.

“The conduct exhibited during the study does not represent the values of the United States, or our commitment to human dignity and great respect for the people of Guatemala. The study is a sad reminder that adequate human subject safeguards did not exist a half-century ago,” the statement added.

The State Department went on to say that the regulations that govern U.S.-funded human medical research prohibit these kinds of violations, adding that a thorough investigation into the specifics of this case from 1946 will be launched.