What I found really interesting, especially after investigating Eunice Rivers role as a woman in the study, was how little you heard about the the women affected by the study. Obviously the actual participants were only men, but their families and the surrounding community included women and children, two parties that you never hear about. The more I researched, the more I found out about the intense shame the descendants felt as well as the extreme hatred they continue to carry for the government.
Before the President made his formal apologize, The New York Times reached out to many family members to get their opinions on the study as well as the apology. All those quoted weren't one of the survivors, but relations to participants. Some of their statements include "you get treated like lepers," "I'm angry about it, very very angry," and "we were disturbed when we found out my father was a part of it." Certain families never talk about it, proclaiming it taboo within the family, while others never wanted to find out the reason they moved away, if it was to get away from the place that stained their family reputation or not. Most of the emotions in this article were either angry or shame, nothing stating direct sadness of sympathy for their family member. There was a great deal of stigma with having syphilis to begin with, and then having been through the study and treated like an experiment animal, it contributed either further to isolating these families from the rest of society.
For awhile, the families were not ever thought of. Women were turned away from the study because the point was only to study men, but this was upsetting for those that were sick with the disease. The disease transmitted itself to many wives, partners, and sometimes even the children. The families were given compensation after a trial led by Attorney Fred Gray. They were also promised unlimited health care after Clinton's apology. However, these compensations only can go so far. They were given money, but they also were still silent, their pains never really announced to the world.
I think that this is truly upsetting. Even when trying to research more about the effects on families, there is almost no first hand accounts to be found. Every article only gives a brief quote, and then explains why the Tuskegee study is the reason these family members no longer trust the government or the medical world. There is much more to be done past just compensating and apologizing, these families deserve to have their voices heard without feeling ashamed and isolated.
Before the President made his formal apologize, The New York Times reached out to many family members to get their opinions on the study as well as the apology. All those quoted weren't one of the survivors, but relations to participants. Some of their statements include "you get treated like lepers," "I'm angry about it, very very angry," and "we were disturbed when we found out my father was a part of it." Certain families never talk about it, proclaiming it taboo within the family, while others never wanted to find out the reason they moved away, if it was to get away from the place that stained their family reputation or not. Most of the emotions in this article were either angry or shame, nothing stating direct sadness of sympathy for their family member. There was a great deal of stigma with having syphilis to begin with, and then having been through the study and treated like an experiment animal, it contributed either further to isolating these families from the rest of society.
For awhile, the families were not ever thought of. Women were turned away from the study because the point was only to study men, but this was upsetting for those that were sick with the disease. The disease transmitted itself to many wives, partners, and sometimes even the children. The families were given compensation after a trial led by Attorney Fred Gray. They were also promised unlimited health care after Clinton's apology. However, these compensations only can go so far. They were given money, but they also were still silent, their pains never really announced to the world.
I think that this is truly upsetting. Even when trying to research more about the effects on families, there is almost no first hand accounts to be found. Every article only gives a brief quote, and then explains why the Tuskegee study is the reason these family members no longer trust the government or the medical world. There is much more to be done past just compensating and apologizing, these families deserve to have their voices heard without feeling ashamed and isolated.