Lana Ponting, a former patient at the Allan Memorial Institute in Montreal, Canada, has come forward as one of the plaintiffs in a class-action lawsuit concerning unethical medical experiments conducted by the CIA. In April 1958, when she was 16, a judge mandated her treatment at the hospital due to issues with her behavior after her family relocated from Ottawa to Montreal. During her month-long stay, she was subjected to experimental practices associated with the agency’s MK-Ultra program, which investigated mind control.
Ponting’s medical records reveal that she was given various drugs, including LSD and sodium amytal, as well as undergoing techniques such as “psychic driving,” where she listened to repetitive recordings meant to influence her behavior. More than 100 institutions in the U.S. and Canada participated in these controversial experiments.
These MK-Ultra activities began to surface in public consciousness during the 1970s, leading to various legal actions against the U.S. and Canadian governments. While some victims received compensation, Ponting was not among them as she learned about her involvement later in life.
For years, she experienced psychological issues that she associates with her time at the Allan Institute, including nightmares and the necessity for lifelong medication. The Royal Victoria Hospital and McGill University have not commented on the current lawsuit, which a recent court ruling allowed to continue.
Ponting hopes this lawsuit will provide her and other victims some measure of closure. It raises significant questions about the ethics of medical experimentation and the responsibilities of research institutions in safeguarding their patients. Various experts underline the idea that, regardless of funding sources, ethical standards should have been adhered to during these experiments.
Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cvgdngkxedzo?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss