Selling Our Children to Big Pharma

Today I am going to post something that could spark a lot of emotional opinions and I am okay with that because I really feel it needs to be said. I honestly want to know if I am just paranoid or if you feel the same way I do. If you’ve got ideas please leave them in the comments. I wrote this on my personal Facebook profile after receiving a letter from a company that advertises research opportunities and paid panels. This particular advertisement is for a large pharmaceutical company wanting to conduct research on children for their depression medication. Lastly, I want to know what we can do to change this.It is my opinion that Big Pharma should not be allowed to conduct these trials.

I rarely get all controversial but this really bothers me

I got a letter today that was sent to all residents in my neighborhood looking for potential guinea pig “kids” for a big pharmaceutical company wanting to test a depression and “mental health” drug that will be specifically formulated to push to children.

Here’s the thing.
Big pharmaceutical companies have an interest in finding depression medication for children because it will make them millions (prob billions) of dollars each year to push these nasty drugs onto our kids. What about the side effects of these drugs? These people do not give a damn about us or our children. We are just a statistic to them.

Do not allow your children to be Guinea pigs by big pharmaceutical studies, this is not the same thing as a study at OHSU where they are doing good things and want to cure cancer and actually help people. Pharmaceutical companies are absolutely in it for the money !

They shouldn’t be allowed to compensate parents for this shit. In my opinion compensation is a form of bribery. Up to $1200 to take a freaking drug that could leave your kid DEAD or worse is just stupid. This is a druggy parent’s heaven right here.

Then some people responded.

 

Beth ~ Aweful! The worst part is they will find participants who don’t give a damn about their kids.

*After reading the letter in more detail it turns out it was sent to me specifically because I had signed up for notices from the research panel I participate in occasionally. I really don’t feel that matters though. They are still seeking children. In my opinion it changes nothing.

When I was getting my bachelors degree in psychology we were told that it is unethical for a researcher to conduct research without full consent of the PARTICIPANT. The  Child is the participant, not the parent and they cannot fully consent because they are children.

Research has shown that the brain is not even fully developed until age 21 and that children, particularly teens lack good decision making skills well into their late teens (Source aacap.org ). 

Children are not Guinea pigs and parents should not have the right to submit them to research.
Should we really be pimping our children out to Big Pharma to make a quick buck?