The U.S. federal government has reportedly allocated over $27 million to a nonprofit organization, the Center for Innovative Public Health Research, which has been found to be sending sexually explicit health advice to minors, instructing them on the use of sex toys, and conducting HIV tests on them without parental consent or notification.<
According to The Washington Times, the Center for Innovative Public Health Research has claimed that researchers were granted "waivers" by a review board under the supervision of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), allowing them to secretly enroll minors in government-funded studies on adolescent sexual behavior. The center's researchers, who are running a program on teen pregnancy known as "Girls2Girls," have stated that they did not want parents to be aware of their children's participation.
Center Director Michele L. Ybarra explained, "We were granted a waiver of parental permission so that girls who wished to participate would not have to put themselves in a potentially unsafe situation by disclosing their sexual identity to their parents." The program aimed to explore methods of reducing pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases among teenagers as young as 14, using text messaging to see if it "helps teens make healthier choices."
Despite the HHS reporting a decline in teen birth rates in the United States, attributing this to interventions such as sex education and access to contraception, critics argue that these covert HHS studies infringe upon parental rights. Hannah Grossman, a researcher and reporter with the Manhattan Institute who discovered the non-profit's clandestine texting program, expressed her concern, stating, "It's deeply unethical, and this has been going on for 10 years. Parents are not aware that there are adults texting their children about sex and sex activities. And this has all been funded by the federal government."
The Girls2Girls study, funded by a $4 million grant from HHS, involved sending up to 10 daily text messages to teenage girls, primarily aged 14 to 16, about pregnancy prevention. The recruitment for the program was conducted through social media and other methods, with researchers seeking female participants for "a sex ed program for teen girls who are into girls." The topics covered included how to obtain birth control, "lube" and sex toys, and "different types of sex and ways to increase pleasure while decreasing risk for STDs and pregnancy."
The researchers at the center argued that there was no need to consult with parents about enrolling their children. They stated on the study website's "frequently asked questions" page, "We have worked closely with our ethical review board to make sure that we have designed a program that best protects the safety of the teens in our program. This includes allowing them to make their own decision about whether to take part in the research and not tell her parents if she does not want to."
A separate, ongoing project funded by a $5 million federal grant is targeting gay teenage boys as young as 13 with text messages aimed at reducing sexually transmitted diseases, primarily HIV infections. The study offers gift cards worth up to $270 to those who join and requires enrollees aged 13-20 to take a series of HIV tests, all under secrecy and hidden from parents.
The study also provides information on how the boys can obtain PrEP, a medication that can prevent the spread of HIV. However, this medication can cause liver and kidney damage as well as loss of bone density in some cases. Ms. Ybarra wrote in the study guidelines that parental permission for teenage boys to participate in the HIV study was not necessary. She explained, "We have obtained a waiver of parental permission for participants under 18 because requiring parental permission could increase risk to participants who may be victimized by their parents because of the need to disclose their sexual minority status."
The Center for Innovative Public Health Research, which describes itself as a research organization "dedicated to developing unique technology-based research and health education programs to improve the lives of young people," has received more than $27 million in federal funding since 2009. Most of this funding has come through HHS and has been dedicated to children's health, teen pregnancy prevention, and mental health research.
Despite the controversy surrounding these programs, the HHS Office of Human Research Protections states that an "Institutional Review Board may waive the requirements for obtaining parental or guardian permission," under certain circumstances, such as in the case of abused or neglected children.
However, the U.S. Government Accountability Office found that neither the FDA nor the Office of Human Research Protections has conducted an assessment of their oversight of the review boards "to help ensure they inspect enough IRBs annually and to optimize their responsibility in protecting human subjects."
While the Center for Innovative Public Health Research continues to receive federal funding, questions remain about the ethical implications of their studies and the lack of parental involvement. The debate over the balance between protecting adolescent health and respecting parental rights is likely to continue, as the government's role in funding such programs is scrutinized.
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