From the cradle to the grave

What we can surmise however, from common and now well documented church practice in the orphanages, is that far from being told the truth about the origin of their disease.

The history of the institutional abuse of children in this country, while little studied, continues to develop. It is only in recent times that an understanding of the abuse of these children for medical purposes has come to light, previous study confining itself mainly to the financial and sexual exploitation of children in institutions.

We now have to ask ourselves what other abuses occurred, and by whom they were perpetrated, on institutionalised children who were unable to protect themselves. For example, the fact that only 65 of an expected 174 bodies of orphans were found at the Prince of Wales hospital when its graveyard was dug up for an expansion to the hospital needs to be reassessed. One reason for the lack of bodies the archaeologists failed to recognise was possibly the theft (or more likely - the possibility of sale) of them for medical specimens in teaching hospitals.

Even 100 years after their deaths the experimentation did not stop. Even as they were being identified and reburied with considerable pomp and circumstance, in a public ceremony attended by the then NSW Minister for Health The Hon. Craig Knowles MP the teeth of 57 of the children had been quietly collected. Researchers then conducted scientific analysis of the levels of strontium contained in them, to compare against the levels of strontium fallout following open air nuclear testing. Given the likelihood that these children’s lost contemporaries are presently housed as specimens in universities and museums, it is to be hoped that their teeth were returned to them after the scientists had finished their tests!

But what of the morality arguments presently fascinating our politicians and church leaders as they vie for the supremacy of their ideals regarding medical experimentation on non thinking human life forms this time around? Are not Cardinal Pell’s fears about the dangers of these experiments on embryonic stem cells justified, given that they are informed not just by his spiritual beliefs, but by the fact that the Catholic Church owns one of the largest biomedical research complexes in the southern hemisphere, as well as his own church’s involvement in illegal research on children?

Or can we believe in our elected leaders’ belief that the medical research fraternity will act with greater ethical and legal restraint than they have shown in the past?

I would suggest that neither have any morality, nor cause for satisfaction one way of the other. Until they join forces, not to quash an inquiry this time, but to allow a Royal Commission into experimental medical research on institutionalised children, they have no authority to speak on this matter.

We need an inquiry to expose our murky past, and to ensure that medical research on children is carried out ethically and legally in the future.