Although some had been arrested in the past for burglary, theft, and assault, id., the boys were widely reported as being "the popular guys." Jill Smolowe, Sex with a Scorecard, TIME, April 5, 1993, at 41. 2 The goal was to score as many "points" as possible. Smolowe, supra note 1; Mydans, supra note 1 (quoting L.A. Sheriffs Dept. Lt. Joseph Surgent: "It didn't matter whether the girls consented oi not. If they consented it was a point. If they didn't consent, it was a point."). ' Initially, the charges totalled 17 felony counts of lewd conduct, unlawful intercourse and rape of seven girls aged 10 to 16.
Scientific progress in human embryonic stem cell (hESC) research and increased funding make it imperative to look ahead to the ethical issues generated by the expected use of hESCs for transplantation. Several issues should be addressed now, even though phase I clinical trials of hESC transplantation are still in the future. To minimize the risk of hESC transplantation, donors of materials used to derive hESC lines will need to be recontacted to update their medical history and screening. Because of privacy concerns, such recontact needs to be discussed and agreed to at the time of donation, before new hESC lines are derived. Informed consent for phase I clinical trials of hESC transplantation also raises ethical concerns. In previous phase I trials of highly innovative interventions, allegations that trial participants had not really understood the risk and benefits caused delays in subsequent trials. Thus, researchers should consider what information needs to be discussed during the consent process for hESC clinical trials and how to verify that participants have a realistic understanding of the study. Lack of attention to the special ethical concerns raised by clinical trials of hESC transplantation and their implications for the derivation of new hESC lines may undermine or delay progress toward stem cell therapies.
An estimated 9202 drug-exposed infants were born in the United States in 1986 according to the National Center for Health Statistics; the number increased to 13,765 in 1988. These figures were substantially underreported, however, notes the 1990 report by the U.S. General Accounting Office (GAO) (1). It surveyed 10 hospitals, two each in Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, and San Antonio, accounting for 44,655 births, of which approximately 4000 resulted in drug-exposed infants in 1989. Maternal cocaine use was estimated to range from below 1 to 12 percent among the 10 hospitals. The GAO report concluded that the number of these infants born nationwide each year could be "very high," and that in these five cities the unavailability of drug treatment and lack of adequate prenatal care are contributing to the problem (1). Two health professionals and a health lawyer were invited to respond to some questions about the problems of cocaine and substance abuse by pregnant women and how maternity caregivers, health and social service agencies, law, and society are dealing with the issues.
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