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Ethical Consideration For Human Subjects

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There have been many instances in science where ethical consideration for human participants has been called into question. Between 1920-1970 many ethical guidelines were put into place to ensure researchers were conducting experiments safety, ethically, and fairly. Out of all the experiments that took place within this time frame, a few stand out. These cases were groundbreaking for ethical treatment within the scope of research done on human subjects.
The turning point for ethical consideration for human subjects came in 1947. After the horrific medical experiments doctors did to prisoners in Concentration Camps in World War II, ethical guidelines were put into place to ensure the safety of human subjects during any type of experiment. More specifically, the case of USA vs. Karl Brandt forced doctors to reevaluate their ethical practices and compelled Dr. Andrew Ivy and Dr. Leo Alexander to create guidelines for ethical treatment of human subjects. These ten point instructions are what people call today the “Nuremberg Code” (United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, n.d.). Of these principles, the Nuremberg Code emphasizes the importance of the consent of the participant, the importance of the participant being completely aware of risks and benefits, as well as being informed that they have the right to know the “nature of the research project” and can discontinue their participation at any time during the experiment (Smith and Davis, 2016). These principles have been

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