National Commission for the Protection of Human Subjects of Biomedical and Behavioral Research
Encyclopedia
National Commission for the Protection of Human Subjects of Biomedical and Behavioral Research was the first public national body to shape bioethics
policy in the United States
.
Formed in the aftermath of the Tuskegee Experiment scandal, the Commission was created in 1974 as Title II of the National Research Act
. It was part of the United States Department of Health, Education, and Welfare (DHEW) until 1978. The Commission was tasked with studying the ethical principles underlying biomedical and behavioral research on human subjects and to make recommendations to the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare and Congress
for the protection of Human subjects. The commission produced their Reports and Recommendations on the following areas of research:
These reports contained their recommendations, the underlying deliberations and conclusions, a dissenting statement and additional statement by commission members and summaries of materials presented to the Commission. An appendix was also included which contained complete text reports and papers prepared for the commission on the ethical, legal and medical aspects of the different research areas examined and other material reviewed by the commission in its deliberations.
The Commission was succeeded by the President's Commission for the Study of Ethical Problems in Medicine and Biomedical and Behavioral Research.
Bioethics
Bioethics is the study of controversial ethics brought about by advances in biology and medicine. Bioethicists are concerned with the ethical questions that arise in the relationships among life sciences, biotechnology, medicine, politics, law, and philosophy....
policy in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Formed in the aftermath of the Tuskegee Experiment scandal, the Commission was created in 1974 as Title II of the National Research Act
National Research Act
The National Research Act was enacted by the 93rd United States Congress. It created the National Commission for the Protection of Human Subjects of Biomedical and Behavioral Research to oversee and regulate the use of human experimentation in medicine. It was partly a response to the infamous...
. It was part of the United States Department of Health, Education, and Welfare (DHEW) until 1978. The Commission was tasked with studying the ethical principles underlying biomedical and behavioral research on human subjects and to make recommendations to the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare and Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
for the protection of Human subjects. The commission produced their Reports and Recommendations on the following areas of research:
- Research on the FetusFetusA fetus is a developing mammal or other viviparous vertebrate after the embryonic stage and before birth.In humans, the fetal stage of prenatal development starts at the beginning of the 11th week in gestational age, which is the 9th week after fertilization.-Etymology and spelling variations:The...
(1975) http://www.bioethics.gov/reports/past_commissions/research_fetus.pdf - Research Involving PrisonPrisonA prison is a place in which people are physically confined and, usually, deprived of a range of personal freedoms. Imprisonment or incarceration is a legal penalty that may be imposed by the state for the commission of a crime...
ers (1976) http://www.bioethics.gov/reports/past_commissions/Research_involving_prisoners.pdf - Research Involving ChildChildBiologically, a child is generally a human between the stages of birth and puberty. Some vernacular definitions of a child include the fetus, as being an unborn child. The legal definition of "child" generally refers to a minor, otherwise known as a person younger than the age of majority...
ren (1977) http://www.bioethics.gov/reports/past_commissions/Research_involving_children.pdf - PsychosurgeryPsychosurgeryPsychosurgery, also called neurosurgery for mental disorder , is the neurosurgical treatment of mental disorder. Psychosurgery has always been a controversial medical field. The modern history of psychosurgery begins in the 1880s under the Swiss psychiatrist Gottlieb Burckhardt...
Report and Recommendations (March 1977) http://www.bioethics.gov/reports/past_commissions/psychosurgery.pdf - Disclosure of Research Information Under the Freedom of Information ActFreedom of Information Act (United States)The Freedom of Information Act is a federal freedom of information law that allows for the full or partial disclosure of previously unreleased information and documents controlled by the United States government. The Act defines agency records subject to disclosure, outlines mandatory disclosure...
(April 1977) http://www.bioethics.gov/reports/past_commissions/Disclosure_of_Research_Information.pdf - Research Involving Those Institutionalized as Mentally Infirm (1978)
- Ethical Guidelines for the Delivery of Health Services by DHEW (1978)
- Appendix to Ethical Guidelines for the Delivery of Health Services by DHEW (1978)
- Institutional Review BoardInstitutional review boardAn institutional review board , also known as an independent ethics committee or ethical review board , is a committee that has been formally designated to approve, monitor, and review biomedical and behavioral research involving humans with the aim to protect the rights and welfare of the...
s (1978) - Implications of Advances in Biomedical and Behavioral Research (1978)
- The Belmont Report: Ethical Principles and Guidelines for Protection of Human Subjects of Biomedical and Behavioral Research (1979) http://www.nihtraining.com/ohsrsite/guidelines/belmont.html
These reports contained their recommendations, the underlying deliberations and conclusions, a dissenting statement and additional statement by commission members and summaries of materials presented to the Commission. An appendix was also included which contained complete text reports and papers prepared for the commission on the ethical, legal and medical aspects of the different research areas examined and other material reviewed by the commission in its deliberations.
The Commission was succeeded by the President's Commission for the Study of Ethical Problems in Medicine and Biomedical and Behavioral Research.
See also
- Human experimentation in the United StatesHuman experimentation in the United StatesThere have been numerous experiments performed on human test subjects in the United States that have been considered unethical, and were often performed illegally, without the knowledge, consent, or informed consent of the test subjects....
- Biomedical Ethical Advisory Committee
- Advisory Committee on Human Radiation ExperimentsAdvisory Committee on Human Radiation ExperimentsThe Advisory Committee on Human Radiation Experiments was established in 1994 to investigate questions of the record of the United States government with respect to human radiation experiments. The special committee was created by President Bill Clinton in Executive Order 12891, issued January 15,...
- National Bioethics Advisory Commission
- President’s Council on Bioethics