In the early 1900’s, scientific research was beginning to grow; however, there were very few rules or regulations to govern such research. During this time, human subjects of scientific research had no defined rights or expectations. In 1927, Vertus Hardiman, a young black male age 5, was cruelly subjected to human research, during which, accidentally, massive amounts of radiation was delivered to his head. The destruction to this young boy’s physical, as well as, emotional condition would remain with him forever.
As informed consent was not mandated during this time, Hardiman’s parents were given false information regarding the experiment and did not know their son was being exposed to dangerously high levels of radiation. Their rural location combined with their …show more content…
It wasn’t until 1974 that Congress founded the National Research Act. This act is responsible for the creation of the Institutional Review Board (IRB) and requirements of informed consent regarding human subjects. Five years later, the Belmont Report was developed by the National Commission. With the creation of these guidelines, ethical principles were defined to assure proper respect and rules regarding protection were in place for human subjects of research. These principles include respect for persons, beneficence, and justice.
Unfortunately, none of these principles were demonstrated to Mr. Hardiman. His young age and lack of education prevented him from being able to make informed decisions independently. As IRBs were not mandatory at this time, benefits and harms were not required to be divulged to his guardians, nor was informed consent required. There was no expectation for justice for this young subject. At his young age, the protection now required for minors was not considered. As a vulnerable human subject, Mr. Hardiman was unable to demonstrate unlimited autonomy. Therefore, he was prone to unfair and unethical