The basic idea of the Respect for Persons principle is that everyone is treated as their own individual being who can make their own decisions. Also, persons who cannot make their own decisions must legally be protected. The way the information is presented to the participant is comprehendible by the direct or indirect person giving the consent. Respect for persons covers everyone's right to equal protection.
Without the context of research, people might think of this principle in terms of issues such as racism or respect for religion that are prevalent today. I would clarify this by explaining that respect in this context, is of research. According to the Belmont Report (1974), "individuals should be treated as autonomous agents, and that …show more content…
Looking at a particular age group between the ages 13 through 18,the appropriate time to let a person be fully autonomous may be vague. How would researchers set a standard for complete autonomy, when each persons have different levels of maturity which may or may not correlate to their legal age? One decision could uphold the principle that makes sure the "persons with diminished autonomy are entitled to protection"-- here, by diminished I mean incapacitated young people-- by allowing their parent or legal guardians to make decisions for them (The Belmont Report, 1974). However, that same decision can violate their right to autonomy if they are mentally capable of making decisions. More specifically, for example, it will be difficult to differentiate between the mental capacity of a 17 year old who is still considered a minor versus an 18 year old who is legally considered as an adult. The law that determines when a person is considered an "adult" can be used as a guideline to make the decision easier, but if they are trying to truly respect the teenaged person involved in research, that might not be the most appropriate way to determine when to allow their right to full …show more content…
Looking specifically at the app Facebook, there are multiple ways that this principle is applied. Within each individual's sphere of Facebook, everyone has their own right to privacy and to control their settings along with that they want to see on their feed. This acknowledges autonomy because it allows every user to govern their own space without the interference of the developers or other people. The feature that allows people to flag or report posts can be recognized as an effort to protect people whose autonomy is diminished. It is not a perfect protection for all but it is still embedded to the best it could
Without the context of research, people might think of this principle in terms of issues such as racism or respect for religion that are prevalent today. I would clarify this by explaining that respect in this context, is of research. According to the Belmont Report (1974), "individuals should be treated as autonomous agents, and that …show more content…
Looking at a particular age group between the ages 13 through 18,the appropriate time to let a person be fully autonomous may be vague. How would researchers set a standard for complete autonomy, when each persons have different levels of maturity which may or may not correlate to their legal age? One decision could uphold the principle that makes sure the "persons with diminished autonomy are entitled to protection"-- here, by diminished I mean incapacitated young people-- by allowing their parent or legal guardians to make decisions for them (The Belmont Report, 1974). However, that same decision can violate their right to autonomy if they are mentally capable of making decisions. More specifically, for example, it will be difficult to differentiate between the mental capacity of a 17 year old who is still considered a minor versus an 18 year old who is legally considered as an adult. The law that determines when a person is considered an "adult" can be used as a guideline to make the decision easier, but if they are trying to truly respect the teenaged person involved in research, that might not be the most appropriate way to determine when to allow their right to full …show more content…
Looking specifically at the app Facebook, there are multiple ways that this principle is applied. Within each individual's sphere of Facebook, everyone has their own right to privacy and to control their settings along with that they want to see on their feed. This acknowledges autonomy because it allows every user to govern their own space without the interference of the developers or other people. The feature that allows people to flag or report posts can be recognized as an effort to protect people whose autonomy is diminished. It is not a perfect protection for all but it is still embedded to the best it could