March 31, 2009

The ethical concerns about performing drug studies on pregnant women have left us with very little data about how most drugs on the market affect expectant mothers. Pregnancy can be a wild card when it comes to the use of medication, often altering the ways in which drugs act on the body. Taking their name from the "first wave" movement that sought gender equality in clinical trials, a group of physicians, public health officials and ethicists know as the “second wavers” is pushing for the inclusion of pregnant women in clinical research. Associate Professor of Philosophy and Senior Research Scholar at the Kennedy Institute of Ethics Maggie Little discusses the importance of this work.