Read statement below. Respond to your peer who chose a different example than your own and expand on the discussion by suggesting how global research could have been improved through the application of ethical best practices.
One of the most unethical research projects known was the Nazi Medical Experiments. In the early to mid-1940’s doctors and their assistants forced participation into experiments that were not only evil but fatal at times. Some of the participants from Nazi concentration camps included Jews, Soviet prisoners of war, and Catholic priest, women and children were not spared. There were many experiments done and results were used to benefit German soldiers. Bone, muscle and nerve transplant, intentional poisoning and freezing experiments were just a few of the horrible test participants endured “Nazi experiments conducted on concentration camp inmates continue to serve as extreme examples of cruelty” (Carrothers , 2020, p.31). These experiments were done without anesthesia and if the participants did not die, they were often left disfigured or permanently disabled.
Because the participants were not willing, there was no informed consent. They were unaware of the purpose of the experiments or what they entailed. The Belmont Report was developed to support ethical research, it consist of three principles: beneficence, respect human dignity, and justice. These principles state there is a duty of the researchers to minimize harm to the participants, the research should be beneficial to the participants and others, and the participants have a right to full disclosure as well as the right to fair treatment (Polit & Beck, 2021. p. 62)
Code of ethics have been created due to corrupt and unprofessional research practices. People in vulnerable groups are at greater risk of being taken advantage of and need to be protected. In response to the Nazi Medical Experiments, the Nuremberg Code was created, it states “The voluntary consent of the human subject is absolutely essential, the person involved should have legal capacity to give consent should be so situated as to be able to exercise free power of choice, without the intervention of any element of force” (Christianto, 2020, p. 2). The Declaration of Helsinki was also created to protect research participants from inhumane treatment with such principles as making the participant priority and keeping them safe. With this declaration, participation is voluntary and the benefits outweigh risks. These codes and declarations keep research ethical, and participants are protected from deliberate harm and results help the participants and/or others.
