Nuremberg Code Ethics

Leo Alexander was one of the co-authors of the Nuremberg Code. The Nuremberg Code is a guide of ethical principles used in research that involves human subjects that came into existence following World War II and the Nazi Regime. Alexander believed that the Nazis had removed the science from their medicine and used “rational utility” rather than morality. This use of rational utility, a way of removing mass numbers of individuals in a population because they used up too many resources, was a concern to Alexander because it was the mentality the Nazi’s used when torturing their subjects in non-scientific and cruel ways. Alexander’s concern for “rational utility” is what caused him to call for the gradual removal of German medicine under the Nazi regime. Because of Alexander’s work on the Nuremberg Code, rules were set to prevent another incident in human experimentation like that of the Nazi’s. …show more content…
Although this happened in the 1950s, her cell line, HeLa, is still around today. The taking of Lacks’ cells led to an ethical argument over the rights of a person to their genetic material after death. Henrietta Lacks is still a much-discussed figure in bioethics because her cells have been used to study diseases without running out of the supply of cells. Her cells are common in labs everywhere as they are infinitely available to be used in labs. While her cells have been useful in research, she is also still talked about because her cells were taken without her consent or the consent of her family, ignoring many rights humans have to privacy. Social ethical issues surrounding Henrietta Lacks include consent, privacy, and