On August 26th the first COVID-19 vaccine allegedly received FDA approval. Mere minutes after the announcement, military officials and democratic states issued new inoculation mandates. President Biden urged business owners to require their staff to receive the mRNA cocktail as a condition of employment. Nevertheless, countless citizens need no coaxing. They see the government organization as a benevolent institution that only endorses products deemed safe for human consumption. However, history has repeatedly proven the Federal Food & Drug Administration’s authorization is not always synonymous with safety. Here are just a few examples of their shady track record which cost the lives of thousands.
Electric Shock Therapy
Electrical stimulation devices are utilized to inflict pain during psychiatric treatments. Electrodes are placed on a patient which direct electrical currents through the skin. The controversial instrument was FDA approved in 1994 for use on vulnerable members of society including those with intellectual disabilities and children. Technicians would quite literally shock subjects into submission. Traumatized individuals left sessions with PTSD, anxiety, burns and tissue damage. Decades of community backlash ensued. Susan Mizner, director of the Disability Rights Program, called the practice “barbaric”. United Nations representatives asserted it was a form of torture. With surmounting civil outrage and widespread criticism, the FDA faced intense scrutiny. As a result, they banned ESD therapy in 2020 after 25 years of inhumane applications.
Accutane
Known generically as isotretinoin, the retinoid is intended to treat severe acne and various types of skin conditions. Accutane is an artificial version of vitamin A which causes the epidermal glands to release less oil. While it helps reduce breakouts, the medication causes a plethora of unintended maladies. Many experienced psychiatric problems including depression and suicidal thoughts. Internal FDA documents acknowledged up to 20,000 took their own lives after taking the pharmaceutical. Additional internal memos indicated there had been 13,000 Accutane-related spontaneous abortions and 1,100 birth defects. Others acquired inflammatory bowel disease, pancreatitis, bone loss, immune system disorders, cardiovascular damage, and central nervous system injuries. More than 7,000 lawsuits were filed against the manufacturer, Hoffman-La Roche, who was issued to pay $25 million in compensation.
Diethylstilbestrol (DES)
Diethylstilbestrol, also known as stilboestrol or stilbestrol, is a chemical form of estrogen. Doctors told expectant mothers the substance prevented premature labor and miscarriages. Unfortunately, the synthetic female hormone was not only ineffective but incredibly harmful. Women who ingested the toxic prophylactic developed cervical, vaginal and breast cancers. Many suffered infertility in future contraception attempts. Fetal exposure resulted in babies born with birth defects, malformation, and developmental abnormalities. These issues and other diseases could be inherited by subsequent generations. Grandchildren of impacted mothers were plagued by dire repercussions. FDA representatives finally banned DES in 1971 after an estimated 10 million women and children had already been exposed.