Human Ethics, Essay Example

In the context of human experimentation, informed consent is defined as consent from research subjects who is fully aware of any and all risks involved with said procedure or experiment, and voluntarily submits themselves as such. This is considered the standard when dealing with most questions regarding ethics in a trial of any kind. Proxy consent is consent given by a third-party, in the event the people themselves should be incapacitated. Proxy consent most often occurs when dealing with mental health patients or coma patients, and most often the third-party was delegated to make “proxy” decisions by the patient themselves before the incapacitated state was ever entered. They are similar in the sense that they are both decisions made by the patient, but different because with a third-party comes another interpretation, set of morals, or opinion.

A wonderful experiment to determine the true affects of LSD on a population would be to simultaneously administer the drug to every person, without them knowing, at a dinner party. Choose two out of ten participants to not administer the drug to. Consistent with older CIA studies, the subjects will notice a difference–however, while their subject was isolated, ours have backing from others experiencing similar phenomenon. Observe the two not under the influence, and see if the placebo effect kicks in. If all are able to find solace in each others’ simultaneous experiences, it can revolutionize the way LSD is perceived, and perhaps reopen its possibility as an agent in psychotherapy. This experiment is in direct violation of The Nuremburg Code, because it does not gain voluntary consent from any of the participants.

Bibliography

http://oxfordindex.oup.com/view/10.1093/oi/authority.20110803100242259

http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/informed-consent/#ReqInfCon