Wow. One last Christmas surprise from President Obama.

This is according to Section 3024, "Informed Consent Waiver for Clinical Investigations" of H.R.

Clinical testing of investigational medical devices and drugs no longer requires the informed consent of the subjects if the testing poses no more than minimal risk to the subjects and includes safeguards.

Who the heck gets to decide what "minimal risk" is? The pharmaceutical companies? The FDA? Medical professionals? How incredibly patronizing.

I don't know about you, but before taking medication or allowing my children to, I want to know all of the details. What are the risks? What are the potential side effects? What is the worst thing that could happen if we don't take it?

I want to be fully informed and make my own decision, and anything less than that is a type of condescension that makes my blood boil. My children and I are not Big Pharma's lab rats.