BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH1
Biomedical Research
Professor Robert Robinson
Reflection Essay 1
Juana Saavedra
October 7, 2017
PHI 475
Biomedical Research
Research that involves human subjects is not in question but that doesn’t mean it does not have ethical challenges. That doesn’t reduce the social importance of including human subjects in experiments as well as the considerable number of lives that research will save. Considering the advantages and ethical considerations involved in this type of research, this essay will focus on a critical analysis of ethics in bio medicine.
Various studies involving human subjects resulted in with negative results which seem to be shaping views of people about the ethics of this type of research tactic. The earliest cited case is that of Jenner Edward who developed a smallpox vaccine by injecting an eight year old chick with a smallpox infection. Despite the fact that this experiment was successful, deliberately exposing the chick to a deadly disease was not ethically proper. There is alsoevidence that the weaknesses of the subjects of the study were taken advantage of to ensure that they would participate. This resulted in the subjects facing possible harm and has obvious ethical implications. Two other examples of ethical problems in human experimentation arethe Tuskegee syphilis trials and the UK porting down chemical experiments. In the latter case, 11,000 personnel in the military were exposed to mustard gas and an excessive amount of nerve gas.
The question about ethics in research persists and people should be concerned about whether this research should continue, even though it means that human subjects are risking their lives for the progress of science. The benefits of various research experiments using human subjects are mostly for the well being of future populations instead of helping the people taking part in the experiments. A major point that people need to understand is the fact that to carry out ethically defined and justified research, people should be conscious of the imbalance between their subjects and ethical conflicts. The ethical conflicts mainly arise as a result of distress of researchers for their subjects’ interest; the welfare of future patients and the interest of science (Caplan & Arp, 2013).
One of the significant ethical jurisdictions when it comes to conducting research involving human subjects is the benefits that society will get. This principlesare stated in the guidelines and codes as well as in the regulations that pertain to human subjects. Referring to the Nuremberg code, any experiment that involves human subjects should be done only in the case of yielding fruitful results for the affected population. It also states that the amount of risk involved in solving the problem should not exceed the importance of humanitarianism. The guidelines provided by the CIOMS, on the other hand, explain the matter by saying that biomedical research ethical jurisdiction that involves human subjects should lead to the discovery of new ways in which people can easily discover better health for people ("Tuskegee Study - Timeline - CDC - NCHHSTP," n.d.).
The most widely known and crucial medical research guidelines in the world were created in Helsinki. These guidelines and terms written by the World Medical Association were adopted in 1964. However, they have been revised several times. This formal declaration was the only way the World Medical Association was able to balance the interests of those taking part in research and protecting their health.
According to Dickenson (2015) abuse may happen in a situation where researchers unintentionally or deliberately favor the interest of those conducting the research over the interest of the research subjects. In these cases, a research ethics committee is used to study and evaluate the trial design. The objective of the panel is to closely examinesociety’s view of the issue. This involves making sure that all of the standards have been met. It also includes ensuring that data consensus has been protected in the research subject and that subjects of the research are not exposed to any risk. Those who are unable to defend themselves (like children and disabled) are therefore not allowed to participate in such analyses.
Using human subjects in the name of research have social benefits if the principles and codes are strictly followed. Unfortunately, the participants in the study do not receive these benefits. On the positive side, patients with the disease will benefit. Some of the practical experiments that involve human subjects are; biologics, a new drug, and surgical techniques (Caplan & Arp, 2014). There are concerns that some of the clinical trials conducted in developed countries may not be helpful to undeveloped countries. It is assumed that people in undeveloped countries can afford these tested drugs. The International Ethics Code of Research like the Helsinki document have provided guidelines on how research benefits should be distributed. Research that involves human subjects should follow the International Codes of Ethics to benefit society. Both vaccines and cures for various diseases have been discovered after clinical trials with human subjects.
References
Ayala, F. J., Arp, R., & John Wiley & Sons.(2011). Contemporary debates in philosophy of biology. Malden: Wiley-Blackwell.
Caplan, A., & Arp, R. (Eds.). (2013).Contemporary debates in bioethics(Contemporary debates in philosophy, 13). Chichester, West Sussex: Wiley Blackwell, an imprint of John Wiley & Sons.
Caplan, A. & Arp, R. eds. (2014). Contemporary debates in bioethics. Wiley-Blackwell.
ISBN: 978-1-4443-3714-3
Dickenson, D. (2015). Bioethics.
Manson, N.C., & O'Neill, O. (2008). Rethinking informed consent in bioethics. Cambridge etc: Cambridge University Press.
Merino, N. (2014). Social justice.
Tuskegee Study - Timeline - CDC - NCHHSTP. (n.d.). Retrieved from