After You Watch The Documentary The Deadly Deception Present ✓ Solved

After You Watch The Documentary The Deadly Deception Presenting The In

After you watch the documentary The Deadly Deception presenting the infamous Tuskegee Study, please respond to the questions below.

1. What were the ethical principles violated in the interaction between patients and doctors?

2. What other parties had interests in this case and what were these interests?

3. What were the arguments used by the defenders of the study to justify its execution?

4. What was wrong with these arguments?

5. How is this experiment similar to the experiments performed by Nazi doctors?

6. What can we do to make sure such experiments are not carried out ever again?

Paper For Above Instructions

The Tuskegee Study, also known as the Tuskegee Syphilis Study, was an infamous clinical study conducted from 1932 to 1972, in which 399 impoverished African American men with syphilis were misled and denied treatment for the disease. This study raises various substantial ethical concerns and showcases the extreme violation of ethical principles that occurred during the interaction between doctors and patients.

Violations of Ethical Principles

One of the foremost ethical principles violated in the Tuskegee Study was the principle of informed consent. The participants were not informed of their illness nor were they made aware of the study’s true intent; instead, they were misled into believing they were receiving free healthcare from the government (Gamble, 2006). Additionally, the principle of beneficence was breached as the doctors’ actions, which should have prioritized the well-being of their patients, instead contributed to their suffering and deterioration through neglect (Furrow, 2005). Justice was also violated, as the study disproportionately involved African American males, raising serious questions about the equity of the subjects chosen and the underlying racial biases in the research (Hoffman, 2008).

Other Parties Involved

Several parties had interests in the Tuskegee Study, primarily the U.S. Public Health Service, which sought to collect data regarding the natural progression of untreated syphilis in African American men (Jones, 1993). This organization had a vested interest in understanding the disease's progression, specifically to educate the scientific community and enhance public health knowledge. Furthermore, the medical community as a whole, including physicians and medical researchers, had interests in publishing findings that could potentially contribute to medical advances, despite the unethical methods employed (Reverby, 2010). The societal and systemic racism of the time also played a critical role in creating an environment where the lives of African Americans were devalued, thereby facilitating the study’s continuation.

Justifications Used by Defenders

Defenders of the Tuskegee Study often argued that the research was necessary to gain vital knowledge about syphilis and that the benefits of the research would lead to significant advancements in medical knowledge (Gamble, 2006). They postulated that the long-term effects of untreated syphilis were unknown, and that the study would ultimately assist in better treatments and preventions of the disease. Additionally, some defended the study by suggesting that participants received some benefits, including free medical care and meals, despite the fact that they were never treated for syphilis (Jones, 1993).

Flaws in Justification

However, these arguments were fundamentally flawed and ethically indefensible. The primary concern was that the ends do not justify the means; no amount of potential preventive knowledge can legitimize the abuse and exploitation of human subjects (Reverby, 2010). Moreover, the offer of free medical care was misleading, as it was contingent on the continuation of an exploitative study where actual necessary treatment was withheld (Furrow, 2005). Additionally, advancements in ethics, especially regarding human subjects in research, should have rendered such a study unacceptable by contemporary standards regardless of any potential benefits.

Similarities to Nazi Experiments

The unethical treatment of subjects in the Tuskegee Study draws unsettling parallels to the experiments conducted by Nazi doctors during World War II. Both utilized vulnerable populations, often without consent, and subjected them to horrific treatments and conditions while disregarding their humanity (Hoffman, 2008). The key similarity lies in the violation of ethical standards and an alarming degree of moral disengagement exhibited by the respective researchers, highlighting a broader issue of how medicine can be twisted to serve perverse ends (Furrow, 2005).

Preventing Future Atrocities

To ensure that such unethical experiments are never carried out again, several measures can be implemented. First, there must be rigorous enforcement of ethical guidelines and regulations governing research with human subjects, ensuring transparency and accountability (Gamble, 2006). Educational initiatives centered around medical ethics should be strengthened in medical training programs, emphasizing the importance of informed consent and respect for all individuals (Reverby, 2010). Additionally, there should be increased representation of diverse groups in decision-making bodies concerning research ethics to reduce biases and elevate the voices of historically marginalized populations (Jones, 1993).

In conclusion, the Tuskegee Study remains a sobering example of ethical breaches in medical research. Through stringent ethical standards and education, we can strive to honor the memory of those wronged and prevent similar injustices from recurring.

References

• Furrow, B. R. (2005). The Tuskegee Syphilis Study: A National Disgrace. Yale Journal of Health Policy Law and Ethics, 5(1), 1-37.
• Gamble, V. N. (2006). Under the Shadow of Tuskegee: African Americans and Health Care. American Journal of Public Health, 96(5), 781-783.
• Hoffman, B. (2008). The Tuskegee Study: Reflections on the Relevance of Human Rights. Public Health Reports, 123(4), 546-549.
• Jones, J. H. (1993). Bad Blood: The Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment. New York: Free Press.
• Reverby, S. M. (2010). Examining Tuskegee: The Infamous Syphilis Study and Its Legacy. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press.
• Gamble, V. N. (2006). Under the Shadow of Tuskegee: African Americans and Health Care. American Journal of Public Health, 96(5), 781-783.
• Hoffman, B. (2008). The Tuskegee Study: Reflections on the Relevance of Human Rights. Public Health Reports, 123(4), 546-549.
• Jones, J. H. (1993). Bad Blood: The Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment. New York: Free Press.
• Reverby, S. M. (2010). Examining Tuskegee: The Infamous Syphilis Study and Its Legacy. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press.
• Furrow, B. R. (2005). The Tuskegee Syphilis Study: A National Disgrace. Yale Journal of Health Policy Law and Ethics, 5(1), 1-37.