Basic Ethical Principles
I. Regulations and Policy Regarding
Basic Ethical Principles
A. Federal: Federal regulations
require that UCSB provide written
assurance to OPRR that it will
comply with requirements for the
protection of human subjects. Included
in that assurance must be a statement
of principles governing this institution
in the discharge of its responsibilities
for protecting the rights and welfare
of human subjects of research.
B. UC Systemwide:
The University Policy on the Protection
of Human
Subjects in Research states: "The
University of California is committed
to the ethical principles for the
protection of human subjects in
research set forth in the Belmont
Report of the National Commission
for the Protection of Human Subjects
of Biomedical and Behavioral Research.
The University recognizes and accepts
responsibility, which it shares
with its investigators and other
researchers, for determining that
research involving human subjects
fulfills these ethical principles."
C. UCSB:
Researchers at UCSB shall be guided
by the ethical
principles set forth in the Belmont
Report.
II. The Belmont Report (a summary)
Three basic principles, among those
generally accepted in our cultural
tradition, are particularly relevant
to the ethics of research involving
human subjects: the principles of
respect for persons, beneficence,
and justice.
A. Respect for Persons incorporates
at least two ethical convictions:
1. Individuals should be treated
as autonomous agents.
An autonomous person is an individual
capable of deliberation about personal
goals and of acting under the direction
of such deliberation. To respect
autonomy is to give weight to autonomous
persons' considered opinions and
choices while refraining from obstructing
their actions unless they are clearly
detrimental to others.
2. Persons with diminished autonomy
are entitled to protection.
The capacity for self-determination
matures during the life of an individual
and may be lost, wholly or in part,
because of illness, mental disability,
or circumstances that severely restrict
liberty. Some persons are in need
of extensive protection; for others,
it is only necessary to ensure that
they undertake activities freely
and with awareness of possible adverse
consequences. The extent of protection
afforded should depend upon the risk
of harm and the likelihood of benefit.
B. Beneficence, in this Report,
is understood as an obligation and
incorporates these rules:
1. Do not harm.
However, even avoiding harm requires
learning what is harmful, which may
expose individuals to risk, as may
the process of learning what will
benefit. The problem is to decide
when it is justifiable to seek certain
benefits despite the risks involve.
2. Maximize possible benefits and
minimize possible harms.
C. Justice
The burdens and benefits
of research should be justly distributed.
The
selection of research subjects needs
to be scrutinized to determine whether
some classes are being systematically
selected simply because of their
easy availability, their compromised
position, or their manipulability,
rather than for reasons directly
related to the problem being studied. |
