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Noticing an uptick in "vaccines violate the Nuremberg code" and "be aware of your rights" messaging from anti-vaccine folks re: COVID-19 immunizations. Haven't seen this one as much recently, so let's dive in for a closer look. 1/9
The history: In concentration camps, Nazi doctors performed horrific experiments on prisoners, obviously without their consent. https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/holocaust/experiside.html (content warning - discusses these experiments) 2/9
During the Nuremberg trials, the doctors who perpetrated these experiments were tried, and a set of research ethics -- the Nuremberg Code -- was produced specifically banning such human experimentation. 3/9
Consent is a major component of medical research and modern studies are cleared by an institutional review board (IRB) before being allowed to proceed. An informed consent process is also completed for each participant in a study. 4/9
Informed consent for vaccine pre-licensure studies is no different, and no one in these studies participated against their will. This is, of course, in full compliance with the Nuremberg Code. 5/9
Once an immunization is found to both work and be safe in trials, it is licensed for use in the general population. Those who are receiving it are given Vaccine Information Sheets (VIS) describing the risks and benefits, allowing for informed consent. 6/9
You are fully within your rights to decline a vaccination you do not feel comfortable with, but the availability of newly-approved vaccines does not in any way violate the Nuremberg Code, which explicitly forbids human experimentation without consent. 7/9
Comparing immunization programs to medical experimentations performed on prisoners in concentration camps is both a false equivalency and an affront to those who suffered at the hands of their captors. 8/9
Vaccines are an essential public health tool, and will be a big part of resolving this pandemic. So if someone tells you they are human experimentation (especially while selling an untested supplement regimen or IV infusion), you should know that isn't true. 9/9
