While many notorious abuses in the name of research have been marked by poor protocols and inadequate purposes, it is also the case that historically some of the most significant research conducted by good and celebrated scientists and in accordance with sound procedure involved uses of human beings which would be unacceptable today. The experiment led to a triumph in health protection, and may have raised no ethical question in the climate of its time. Judged by present standards, however, it would be quite unacceptable and highly objectionable. Jenner is not condemned by hindsight, but his good science would not, if proposed today, be considered good ethics.
Moral considerations impose certain limitations upon research.
While recognizing the vital importance of research to human progress, we affirm that consideration for the welfare and integrity of the individual or collectivity must prevail over the advancement of knowledge and the researcher's use of human subjects for that purpose. The potential subject's interest in knowing the risks and benefits involved in participation in the proposed research must be respected, as must the interest in privacy, meaning the right to control the information other people have about him or her. Any intended or forseeable limitation of privacy by breach of confidentiality must be disclosed, and freely accepted by the subject as a pre-condition to his or her inclusion in the study. Cultural groups have a comparable entitlement to accurate and respectful description of their heritage and customs, and to the discreet use of information on their daily lives. Proposed subjects of research, whether individual or collective, should be approached as potential partners in the project, and not as raw materials, obstacles or means to an end.