What Types of Ethical Issues Might Arise When an Organization Conducts Research?

Millions of people suffer from destructive diseases, illnesses, and physical ailments. The medical industry spends millions of dollars searching for remedies. Personnel searching for health cures observe strict guidelines. Researchers must respect the rights of humans and animals used in their studies, and honestly report study results. (Reference 3, "Codes and Policies for Research Ethics")

History of Research

• The test subjects should understand what is happening.

  Ethics determine "what is good or bad." Institutional Review Boards, funding sources, and government agencies ensure that researchers conduct ethical studies. The infamous 1932 Tuskegee syphilis study influenced the development of ethical research policies. The Tuskegee study used African-American men infected with syphilis as test subjects. Researchers observed and recorded the infected men's physical deterioration, allowing the syphilis to spread instead of administering the cure: penicillin. "By the time the study was exposed in 1972, and ended on November 16th of the same year, 28 men had died of syphilis, 100 others were dead due to syphilis related complications, at least 40 wives had been infected and 19 children had contracted the disease at birth," reports Brown University. In response to the Tuskegee study, policymakers imposed greater restrictions to research studies.

Withholding a Cure

• Researchers try to find a cure.

  The Tuskegee study demonstrates that withholding a curative drug is considered unethical. Ethics demands that the researchers (who use an untreated or control group for comparison in studies) consider the interests of the untreated group. Institutions develop review boards to settle ethical dilemmas. Agencies that supervise research must protect test subjects from dangerous experimental treatments. These agencies also determine whether the potential benefits of experimental treatments outweigh the risks for the test subject. Leaders in bioethics discuss and develop guidelines for researchers involved in controversial studies.

Treating Animals Humanely

• Animals can feel pain.

  Researchers often use animals in studies. They must treat the animals humanely. Animals experience pain and suffering, so their distress is an ethical concern. Agencies that oversee the activities of researchers ensure that test subjects (animal and human) do not suffer needlessly. This principle extends to stem cell research and the study of fetuses. Ethical researchers reduce pain/suffering as much as possible during their studies.

Profit as Temptation

• Money tempts researchers to alter results.

  Medical discoveries and research can yield huge profits. Some researchers may falsify results for financial gain. To avoid a conflict of interest, institutional review boards (IRBs) ensure that researchers do not benefit (financially or otherwise) from the outcome of research. Falsifying data, misrepresenting results, and taking credit for others' academic work are ethical violations.