Willowbrook Hepatitis Study: Ethical Issues

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Historical precedents of unethical research on vulnerable people assist in understanding the significance of human subject protections. An example of unethical research selected for discussion is Willowbrook Hepatitis Study. DuBois (2020) claims that from 1956 until 1971, hepatitis investigations were performed at the Willowbrook school for mentally disabled youngsters. Given the children’s living conditions, Hepatitis was nearly unavoidable that they would contract Hepatitis (DuBois, 2020). The lead investigator, Dr. Saul Krugman, suggested studies that showed promise in distinguishing between Hepatitis strains and generating a vaccine (DuBois, 2020). Nonetheless, his study approach involved purposely infecting children with local strains of live Hepatitis.

The ethical issue is that mentally disabled adolescents at the institution were deliberately infected with the hepatitis virus as part of a continuing study to evaluate the efficacy of various vaccinations and therapies. Because of public awareness of the occurrence, federal laws for research involving minors, and informed parental or guardian consent, were developed (JoAnn, 2019). Consequently, only competent adults are legally permitted to offer informed consent. Nonetheless, based on the child’s age, development, and psychological state, the American Academy of Pediatrics advises seeking agreement from children as young as seven (JoAnn, 2019). When considering the APA Ethical Standards, protection from harm and informed consent standards were violated.

The following steps may help me enhance the research design and lessen the ethical complexities associated. Firstly, ensuring that individuals are given enough information to make an informed decision about their engagement is critical. Furthermore, the researchers should verify that the ethical concerns of consent, risk of harm, and secrecy are well defined. It is unethical to use persuasion or deception to acquire someone’s trust. Finally, researchers must take measures to protect research participants.