Ethics of Black Bodies in Science Under Scrutiny

This breakdown examines two cases that raise urgent concerns about the ethics of Black bodies in science, highlighting how power and research practices continue to affect Black communities. In Guinea-Bissau, a Trump-funded clinical trial delayed a proven hepatitis B vaccine for newborn African babies as part of a research protocol, a move critics say exposed infants to preventable risk. In the United States, a recent report found that genetic and brain-scan data from more than 20,000 children, many of them Black, was misused to support discredited race-based science. Together, the cases point to ongoing gaps in oversight and revive historical fears about unethical medical research involving Black populations.