Would any study involving human subjects that violated normal medical practice necessarily be unethical

If by violating a medical procedure, a study is likely to result in results that benefit the majority of the population, then per the utilitarian theory the study would also not be unethical (Burkhardt & Nathaniel, 2013 p. The ethical principle of beneficence indicates that the actions of any procedures ought to be to the benefit of the patient and should not cause harm according to the principle of nonmaleficence (Burkhardt & Nathaniel, 2013 p. It is also hence possible to have an argument that studies that by their end result will impact positively on the patient’s outcomes which negate the normal medical interventions are not unethical if they result in good for the patients in the end ((Burkhardt & Nathaniel, 2013 p. 69-71) The Tuskegee victims were not informed.

A basic guideline for human subject research is the requirement of informed consent. Despite the availability of penicillin later on within the course of the study, the participants were denied treatment with a rationale that they would receive superior medical care for other health issues. This exposes the racial discrimination within the study which aimed to exploit the health disparities among the American black community making the reason for the research unethical according to Kant theory which judges the ethical standing of the research by the underlying reason of an action (Burkhardt & Nathaniel, 2013 p. The standards that were applied for the study were not within the ethical provisions of the time. Despite there being no explicitly clear research ethics at the time, the researchers being health care providers ought to have used their professional ethical standings and principles to ensure that the study was conducted ethically.

The actions to deny treatment, for example, violated the ethical principles of beneficence and nonmaleficence which have been long-standing (Burkhardt & Nathaniel, 2013 p. In enforcing the public morality, the media has an obligation to play a role in informing, discussing and disseminating information in such a way that it adds or contributes to promoting public morality. Although this responsibility does not squarely lie on the requisite by the media to instill, the role to inform and disseminate information on public morality is an essential function of the media in a community. The ethical principle of utilitarianism would apply in involving the media in promoting public morality as opposed to doing it. Disseminating information that promotes public morality has higher utility value compared to not doing it hence ethically reasonable, it is also within the ((Burkhardt & Nathaniel, 2013 p.

Are the guidelines for human subjects likely to assure that all future research will be conducted in an ethical manner? The ethical guidelines for research provide a standard by which the ethical standing of research can be measured and regulated. The selection of the participants for the research also failed to fit within the ethical provision of justice as the study respondents chosen were not representative of the populations that would benefit from the research. Respect for persons was violated by the research as the study exposed the participants to the dangers of untreated syphilis which can be dire an impact not only their health but also the health of their descendants. The study did not respect the right of the participant to accessing treatment, the right to voluntary participation or right to exit the research.