Why Is Africa Always the Testing Ground?
News recently broke about the world’s first 8-year contraceptive being introduced in Kenya, supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. This initiative, part of broader Africa contraceptive trials, is set to expand to other African countries. On the surface, this seems like a breakthrough: longer-lasting, more effective birth control options for women who want them. But beneath the headlines, serious ethical and historical questions demand attention. Why Africa? A Pattern of Vulnerable Populations as Test Subjects Why is Africa chosen for these trials, instead of Europe or North America, where reproductive health challenges also exist? Why are African women,…
