Lethal But Legal Summary

Words: 1002
Pages: 5
Open Document
The epidemiological paradox questions why our health is declining when we have so much money in the healthcare industry, and so many new tools and resources. There is a simple answer to this, which was addressed in the book Lethal But Legal by Nicholas Freudenberg. These tools and resources are controlled by corporations, and those corporations do not have the best interest of the people at heart, and instead are only interested in their profits. In the first part of his book, Freudenberg addresses a few main industries that are not focused on the public, but instead are focused on their profits. The first is the food industry. On page 12, he makes a point that companies try to make an effort to seem like they care about the public, but there …show more content…
And they’d fight like hell against such laws to begin with, all the while telling the public what wonderful citizens they were” (Reich). This is just another example of how corporations do not have the public’s best interest at heart. They put workers in danger by violating laws that were put in place to protect these workers. Corporations also put the public in danger, and this is evident in the pharmaceutical field. Several drug companies advertise their products to doctors for uses that never got approved by the FDA. Freudenberg writes about this on page 58 where he says “In 2004, Warner-Lambert, then a division of Pfizer, pled guilty to criminal charges that it had illegally promoted Neurotonin”(Freudenberg 58). This drug was initially approved by the FDA to control certain types of seizures in those with …show more content…
Merck withdrew Vioxx from the market because of a study that showed it doubled the risk of heart attacks and strokes among long-time users. By then, more than 20 million people had taken the drug, and thousands experienced adverse events, including deaths, attributable to Vioxx” (Freudenberg 54-55). In 2007, Merck settled on paying $4.85 billion to settle 27,000 different lawsuits over Vioxx. While this seems like a large amount of money to the average person, Merck has a net worth of $318.56 billion, so that money toward lawsuits is nothing. This shows one example of how consequences towards corporations are so minimal. Freudenberg also wrote an article that we touched on in class called “Charting the Pathways of Power That Undermine Public Health” where he writes “Corporations are people too and have the same rights to protected speech and political participation as real people”(Freudenberg). This is a really good point, because yes corporations have rights very similar to real people, and this is why they get away with so much, but if they have the same rights as real people, shouldn’t they have the same consequences? Going back to the Merck example, Vioxx harmed thousands of people, many
Show More

Related Documents: Lethal But Legal Summary

Salem Witch Trials Research Paper

of sorcery, in which case their lives would be taken either burning at the stake, hanging, or beheading. One man was even pressed to death by stones, according to “A True Legal Horror Story: The Laws Leading to the Salem Witch Trials”. On December 7th, 1982, Charles Brooks became the first person executed by what we call “lethal injection”. This substance is made up of midazolam (sedates), vecuronium bromide (to paralyze the muscles), and potassium chloride (to stop the heart). This has been the most…

Words 1594 - Pages 7

Evolution And Creationism: Chapter Summary

The third chapter examines several creationist perspectives, including intelligent design, and discusses the scientific and legal reasons against teaching creationist ideas in public school science classes. I would highly suggest you to read chapter three of the book Science, Evolution, and Creationism. This chapter includes interesting information about different points of view about evolution. It also explains the case courts between the religious groups against the scientific point of view. To…

Words 482 - Pages 2

Essay on criminal justice

not precisely correct. Two of the officers involved in the Rodney King incident, Laurence Powell and Sergeant Stacey Koon, *were* eventually convicted on Federal criminal charges of having violated Rodney King's civil rights. 1. Two types of "non-lethal" weapons (in other words, not *deadly weapons* as a handgun would be considered) were employed in the Rodney King event: the Taser and the PR-24 baton (a specialized sort of nightstick, evolving from an old martial arts weapon, specifically developed…

Words 798 - Pages 4

Essay on Analysis: Illegal Drug Trade and Marijuana Info

the actual benefits of marijuana in a better approach. If you have any questions or would like to help out in the cause, feel free to contact me on my email at nmeshesha0@frostburg.edu or call me at 202-112-4311. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Purposes of the Repost The purpose of this report is to see (1) the awareness of marijuana and to see peoples views on the subject around the area and (2) find ways to increase awareness of the true information about marijuana and its benefits…

Words 833 - Pages 4

Essay on Criminal Law I

LEGAL PRINCIPLES: Retrospective law : cannot be convicted of an offence that was not an offence at the time committed however: Transitional provision : specific provisions within the legislation may dictate otherwise – eg. Criminal Code 2008: charged under “old” offences but sentenced in respect to Code. Commonwealth/ State : Commonwealth able to legis. exclusively in regard to specific issues eg. s 51 (Const.) –currency : can be both –importation of drugs – Common.; possession of drugs…

Words 3511 - Pages 15

Death Penalty Synthesis Essay with Documents

well-written essay. Refer to the sources to support your position; avoid mere paraphrase or summary. Your argument should be central; the sources should support this argument. Remember to attribute both direct and indirect citations. Introduction: The death penalty has been implemented since ancient times and punishes criminals. Some people wonder if it deters violent crime in the states it is legal, but does it have a noticeable effect on violent crimes in these places? Is it even moral, and…

Words 5068 - Pages 21

The Medical Professionals Influence On The Right To Die Movement

ability to open private practices. Additionally, I will use resource mobilization theory to explain how medical professionals serve as the most influential resources to the success of the Right to Die movement. Description of the Social Movement Summary of the Right to Die Movement The Right to Die Movement has been around for nearly a century, but was not well known until recently. It is a movement in support of the free choice for terminally ill persons to determine the circumstances in which…

Words 2667 - Pages 11

Pros And Cons Of Stand Your Ground Law

yourself. If someone is shooting at you, do you choose morals or your own life? According to At Issue from the SIRS database, Stand Your Ground laws allow citizens to use lethal force to defend themselves without risk of prosecution. The opposition states Stand Your Ground laws you have a duty to retreat first before using lethal force. Supporters of Stand Your Ground laws say citizens have the right to protect themselves. The opposition believes the laws are poorly understood and encourage violence…

Words 1500 - Pages 6

Lab 3: HIPAA

Lab 3: HIPAA HIMSS is a website that tells anyone that looks at it, what is going on. If you look up healthcare reform you are able to see all the updates that have been posted about the reform act. This can be helpful if you don’t know what the healthcare reform is or what is being changed within the act. Also you are able to look up things like health information technology. The links that I checked out about health IT seemed to have a lot of information but not in the easiest to understand if…

Words 1380 - Pages 6

Books: Intimate Partner Violence Essay example

Let me start out asking you all to forgive me for my absence, when I was to present. Unfortunately I was unable to at the time, and I thank all of you for the chance to present intimate partner violence to you I will be brief here. I want to talk about intimate partner violence. We will look at why people stay involved with this type of relationship. Group Rules: 1. Try to be courteous to one another and their opinions. 2. Take turns as adults do with grace. 3. Participation…

Words 6563 - Pages 27