80 Years After Nuremberg Condemned Nazi Research, Doctors Are Still Committing Atrocities
Brooke Stanton
The 80th anniversary of the Nuremberg Trials is a powerful moment to reflect on the horrors of unchecked human experimentation during World War II. This milestone reminds us of the atrocities that produced the 1947 Nuremberg Code, a cornerstone of medical ethics emphasizing informed consent, minimal risk, and the prohibition of exploiting vulnerable human beings. The code, a voluntary international guideline, prioritizes the physical and mental safety of all human subjects over any “greater good” for society.
Yet, as we reflect on this legacy, a glaring flaw in U.S. regulations demands scrutiny: the outdated, scientifically inaccurate definitions in 45 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 46, the federal policy for the protection of human subjects in research supported or conducted by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). It’s time to finally align this decades-old law with objective biological facts from human embryology.
Beyond baseline protections, 45 CFR 46 provides additional safeguards for vulnerable populations, specifically governing research on pregnant women, human fetuses, and neonates. But here’s the rub: Subpart B also contains two false definitions of fundamental terms about the human being and omits, essentially erasing, an entire stage of human development.
HHS regulations misdefine “fetus” as the “product of conception from implantation until delivery” and “pregnancy” as “the period of time from implantation until delivery.” Shockingly, despite the fact that the first stage of human development is the embryonic period, when all major organs, body systems, and distinct human features begin to form (making it the most critical and vulnerable phase), 45 CFR 46 does not define the human “embryo” at all.
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https://thefederalist.com/2025/11/28/80-years-after-nuremberg-condemned-nazi-research-doctors-are-still-committing-atrocities/
