The Corpuscle

By way of Electrolite, an intelligent and informed post on the matter I referenced here.

In summary, the BBC documentary appears to uncritically embrace the theories of AIDS denialists who believe that all HIV treatments are toxic. Their primary sources of information have no scientific or medical credibility. Neither the BBC piece nor the set of Scheff articles upon which the documentary was apparently based cite any mainstream experts in HIV or human subjects research - no appeal to the FDA, no experts from the National Institutes of Allergies and Infectious Diseases. They're not credible.

There is definitely a place for thoughtful argument about whether parents have the unrestricted right to withhold medical treatment from their children. There is a place for thoughtful argument about how to balance concerns about quality of life and treatment-related toxicity with the need for HIV treatment. But the BBC documentary and its source articles hardly provide that kind of thoughtful argument. Don't get sucked in.

From "Human Guinea Pigs?" at Respectful of Otters.