The study that was done at Tuskegee was a horribly unethical study that studied the affects of syphilis in a group of African American people in the city of Tuskegee. These people were lied to and denied treatment even after it had been found. It has major implications beyond the obvious distrust of government including African Americans distrust of health officials as well as a belief in some that AIDS was forced on the black community in an attempt to harm them. An apology to these people is not nearly enough but it was definitely a start. President Clinton did well to acknowledge all of the people that he did and I think that the plan that he enacted was definitely a step in the right direction.
Clinton's apology was pretty emotional and seemed very heartfelt even with just reading it. I think that everyone understands that these people were wrong and the President did well to put into words how sorry he personally was. It was also really nice that he backed it up with a plan to try to increase the techniques and safety of future research. I think that his point about needing more African Americans for conducting research was very prevalent. I think that in order for studies to serve the greater good of the nation, all minorities need to be involved in the study so we can learn how different things affect a diverse population. I think that African Americans have come a long way in this country even just since this study. The inauguration of Barack Obama today is a great example of that. I think that he will make great strides for this country. I think also having an African American in that situation of power will change the way that many African Americans see things. With a black man in the white house I think there will be much more trust in the government in the black community. I think it will also make minorities more likely to get involved in politics and studies.
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