Tuskegee Study Inhumane
Throughout the duration of the Tuskegee Study, many unethical situations had occurred. In fact, these inhumane events led to the creation of The Belmont Report. (1) The Belmont Report was designed to protect human research subjects by requiring researchers to practice ethically. The 3 defining principles of The Belmont Report include: Respect for Persons, Beneficence, and Justice. (2)
Respect for persons means that researchers must obtain voluntary informed consent from participants in the study. Informed consent is achieved when participants are given accurate information about the potential risks and treatment options available. In addition, participants should be able to freely choose to begin or stop the study at any time.(1) The Tuskegee study did not fully disclose information to the participants. They told participants they were being treated for bad blood despite the fact that they were specifically studying the effects …show more content…
of untreated syphilis. The Tuskegee study researchers failed to inform participants about the name of the study, it’s purpose, and the potentially life-threatening consequences of participating in the study. Lastly, even after penicillin became a known cure for syphilis, researchers did not give participants the choice to quit the study.(3)
Next, beneficence requires researchers to provide evidence that the study’s benefits outweigh the risks for participants in addition to disclosing any potential consequences or benefits associated with treatments provided. Beneficence also states that the study should not cause any intentional harm to participants. (2) The Tuskegee study defied participants of these rights as they denied proper treatment to participants after penicillin was discovered as a cure for syphilis. In addition, the researchers did not notify participants that they had syphilis. Untreated syphilis put participants lives at risk as well as their family members who may have contracted the disease. (3)
Lastly, justice requires that researchers must randomly and fairly select subjects regardless of specific racial, economic, or gender groups.
Justice also protects researchers from targeting a specific group for potentially riskier treatments. (2) The Tuskegee study violated the principle of fair subject selection by intentionally selecting poor, illiterate black males to encounter the dangerous and life-threatening effects of untreated syphilis. Furthermore, these black men were deemed as inferior to white people and received unequal treatment due to racist experimentation performed. Researchers lured these uneducated men by manipulating and bribing them with extremely enticing incentives such as free medical exams, meals, and burial stipends.
In conclusion, various elements of the Tuskegee study demonstrated unethical research practices. For this reason, countless lives were lost and many others suffered incomparable outcomes. The Tuskegee study proves the importance of conducting ethical research for society and individuals as a
whole.
Respect for persons means that researchers must obtain voluntary informed consent from participants in the study. Informed consent is achieved when participants are given accurate information about the potential risks and treatment options available. In addition, participants should be able to freely choose to begin or stop the study at any time.(1) The Tuskegee study did not fully disclose information to the participants. They told participants they were being treated for bad blood despite the fact that they were specifically studying the effects …show more content…
of untreated syphilis. The Tuskegee study researchers failed to inform participants about the name of the study, it’s purpose, and the potentially life-threatening consequences of participating in the study. Lastly, even after penicillin became a known cure for syphilis, researchers did not give participants the choice to quit the study.(3)
Next, beneficence requires researchers to provide evidence that the study’s benefits outweigh the risks for participants in addition to disclosing any potential consequences or benefits associated with treatments provided. Beneficence also states that the study should not cause any intentional harm to participants. (2) The Tuskegee study defied participants of these rights as they denied proper treatment to participants after penicillin was discovered as a cure for syphilis. In addition, the researchers did not notify participants that they had syphilis. Untreated syphilis put participants lives at risk as well as their family members who may have contracted the disease. (3)
Lastly, justice requires that researchers must randomly and fairly select subjects regardless of specific racial, economic, or gender groups.
Justice also protects researchers from targeting a specific group for potentially riskier treatments. (2) The Tuskegee study violated the principle of fair subject selection by intentionally selecting poor, illiterate black males to encounter the dangerous and life-threatening effects of untreated syphilis. Furthermore, these black men were deemed as inferior to white people and received unequal treatment due to racist experimentation performed. Researchers lured these uneducated men by manipulating and bribing them with extremely enticing incentives such as free medical exams, meals, and burial stipends.
In conclusion, various elements of the Tuskegee study demonstrated unethical research practices. For this reason, countless lives were lost and many others suffered incomparable outcomes. The Tuskegee study proves the importance of conducting ethical research for society and individuals as a
whole.