Guatemala Syphilis Experiment Research Paper

From 1946 to 1948 The United States conducted what is now known as "The Guatemala Syphilis Experiment". As part of the experiment "Doctors infected soldiers, prostitutes, prisoners and mental patients with syphilis and other sexually transmitted diseases, without the informed consent of the subjects[...] [resulting] in at least 83 deaths." () Certainly the prisoners who had sex with infected prostitutes hired by the researchers to do so, would be under the scope of persons with "diminished autonomy" as they are incarcerated. Therefore they should be "entitled to protection". However instead somehow researchers got away with infecting them and not treating them even though they had the ability to do so. In regards to this I believe the law for code of conduct in experiments should be that if you have the means to help someone and …show more content…
The NCPHSBBR should enact a strengthened Act of Duty law for researchers stating that an individual with the knowledge and ability to take action to prevent harm to another person or the general public should be required to do so.
Going back to the first part of the "Respect for Persons" statement the principle states that "individuals should be treated as autonomous agents". With this in mind, another law that should be enacted is that you must first follow the rules of the culture of the group you are studying before implenting your own or before thinking of the scientific benefit. By looking at the individuals you are investigated as "autonomous agents" the statement is entitling these individuals to make their own choices about how to act in their own environment without any outside influence. Researchers must be culturally sensitive and treat each group studied individually in their own respects and allow them to follow their own belief system without anthrolopologists attempting to change their habits or forcing them to participate in any