In many types of experiments involving human subjects, especially psychological ones, there is a need to deceive the research subject in order to ensure that the experiment is relevant. The deception is generally more blatant in psychological studies; research subjects are often deprived of important information about the experiment, such as its purpose, because knowledge can distort the results of the experiment. For the same reason, pharmaceutical studies tend to deceive subjects regarding the treatment that they are being given, since they need a control group that is unaware of the fact that it is receiving a placebo rather than an actual experimental drug.
Is this deception ethical? In "Dying Children and Medical Research," Oberman and Frader claim that since "American society values altruism and autonomy over communitarian or altruistic values," human experimentation that may harm the patient is only ethical if there is some possible benefit to the actual research subject, and not only to society as a whole. (305-306) Does this mean that depriving a patient of a drug that may help them without letting them know is unethical? Perhaps more importantly, is it unethical to risk psychological harm to a person in conducting a psychological experiment that has very little chance of helping the subject in any way? Practically, such a standard seems difficult to uphold while conducting any significant research; but in an abstract ethical sense, is this a problem?
1 comment:
In regard to the question about whether or not it would be considered unethical to deprive patients of a drug that may benefit them without informing them, my response is no. Instead of being 100% healthy individuals, the subjects in these studies are seeking some form of treatment. In such a study, the patient is being treated with some form of standard treatment. As you mentioned, experimentation would be considered ethical if there is benefit to the research subject if harm may be inflicted upon the subject. Although one may argue that placebo may not offer additional benefit to the subject, the subject is not putting his or her health at a higher risk. While it is unethical for study personnels to personally select individuals to placebo groups or treatment groups, it is not considered unethical when the selection process is blinded. Additionally, the subjects, as individuals who have the right to make their own decisions regarding their own health, are also aware of the existence of placebo groups although they do not know which group they fall under.
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