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Title
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Oral Contraceptive Trials Begin in Puerto Rico
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Date
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1956
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Description
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Clinical trials of oral norethynodrel as a contraceptive began in Puerto Rico in 1956, involving Gregory Pincus, Celso-Ramón García, John Rock, Edris Rice-Wray, and Puerto Rican research participants and institutions.
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ABP identifier
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ABP-E-0007
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Historical significance
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The Puerto Rico trials connect the development of oral contraception with questions about research participation, informed consent, risk, women's reproductive agency, socioeconomic vulnerability, population policy, and the relationship between U.S. biomedical research and Puerto Rico. They also broaden the geography of American bioethics beyond the fifty states.
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Intellectual stream
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Research ethics & consent
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Critical / corrective
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Verification status
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Under review
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Evidence confidence
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High
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Open question
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What did participants understand about the experimental nature, risks, and uncertainties of the trials, and which Puerto Rican clinicians, nurses, institutions, and community actors should be linked to this record?