But acquiescence does not equate with comprehension. However, this principle was compromised almost immediately after the Nuremberg trials. The Helsinki Declaration, which superseded the Nuremberg Trials, weakened the provision by placing too much emphasis on the advancement of science and not enough on the integrity of the subject. Even more distressing are the instances of unethical research behavior that have occurred since the revelations of the Nuremberg Trials and wide acceptance of the 10 principles they promulgated. Clearly, the major lesson of the Nuremberg Trials has not been learned.
Ethicists have the painful responsibility of reaffirming that lesson even in the United States.
Failure to respect the absoluteness of the requirement for truly informed consent is a major factor behind current moves to strengthen regulatory mechanisms regarding research involving humans. They even convinced themselves that their heinous acts were consistent with those principles. What the Nazi doctors illustrate is that ethical teaching has to be sustained by the ethical values of the larger community. In Germany, this support system was weakened well before the Holocaust and the experiments at Auschwitz. They even urged the Hitler regime to adopt these nefarious ideals.