Introduction
Human beings have rights and privileges they enjoy as a result of the constitutional provisions. The law requires that no one should take away these rights from them. Throughout history, a few people have been using loopholes in the law to mistreat people though controversial studies. The paper would discuss the violated historical and ethical principles.
The Ethical Principles Violated During the Historical Research
The Tuskegee Syphilis Study denied the citizens the information of knowing that they were an experiment. Therefore, they willingly participated in an experiment that would hurt them unknowingly. The researchers also discriminated the people based on their race (Cole & McGee, 2006). The wrongfully acknowledged study should have involved people across all races. Even after the experiment, the treatment for Syphilis was widely available (Research Ethics Timeline (1932-Present), n.d.).
The people in most of the research did not have a choice. It is the reason researchers abused their rights. The prisoners in the German concentration camps did not have freedom of choice. They had to accept their fate as prisoners.
The people in the experiments did not have the right to beneficence. The researchers did not show mercy and compassion to the subjects. They just got an advance directive from the investigators and no moment to question the authorities (Cole & McGee, 2006). The researchers did not show nonmaleficence. They did not demonstrate that they wanted to avoid harm or hurt to the people they used as experiments. For instance, it is the US government that sponsored secret research on the effects of radiation on human beings. They even carried out the experiment on cancer patients, pregnant women, and military personnel without giving them prior information (Research Ethics Timeline (1932-Present), n.d.).
The people suffered from the lack of justice. There was to be an equal and fair distribution of drugs based on analysis of benefits and burdens. It is clear that the people infected with viral drugs do not get the medications that are available for their treatment.
The Implications of the Iron Ridge and Summerville Study
There is extensive pollution in Iron Ridge. It is a health hazard that may cause the rise in illnesses. The factories are causing air pollution. As a result of air pollution, people may suffer from brain-related problems such as cognitive decline and neuropathy. The environment is also dirty with trucks dumping solid waste in the vicinity (Tuskegee Study and Health Benefit Program – CDC – NCHHSTP, n.d.). The wastes are hazardous to people’s health.
The lack of sufficient distribution of resources causes people to become jobless. Idleness causes them to remain in the streets and hence start engaging in crimes. Poverty in Iron Ridge has risen to the unmanageable state. The state of homelessness is inescapable. The homeless families on the streets become violent as a result of their condition and their raising on the street.
The state of the environment is the main problem. Dirt on the streets, burning buildings and trash are all health hazards. Air pollution is also increasing their health problems. The people may suffer from various ailments including lung problems. Approximately 4% of people all over the world die from air pollution (Tuskegee Study and Health Benefit Program – CDC – NCHHSTP, n.d.).
Conclusion
It is important for the government to provide an environment that protects its citizens. As much as there are global campaigns for safety and health support, there are some countries that have not improved their system. Organizations and people must keep pushing for reforms in the research sector and government commitment.
References
Cole, D., & McGee, P. (2006). Ethical issues in research supervision. Research Ethics, 2(3), 108-108.
Research Ethics Timeline (1932-Present). (n.d.). Web.
Tuskegee Study and Health Benefit Program – CDC – NCHHSTP. (n.d.). Web.