The 1964 Helsinki Declaration provided clear guidance on the subordination of the interests of science to the welfare of research subjects. In her thought-provoking paper, Ringheim reviewed these principles as they relate to postabortion care research. The challenge for operations research is to ensure that strict ethical guidelines, of the sort outlined by Ringheim, are adhered to by both interviewers and service providers. The requirements for confidentiality and valid informed consent do not typically draw attention to the importance of interviewer selection and often are not addressed in training programs. Indeed, guidelines for the ethical training of interviewers and providers are notably lacking for the field of reproductive health operations research.
Several issues are unresolved and poorly documented in the literature.
For example, obtaining informed consent is not as straightforward as it may seem. Western, highly individualized language concerning the right to withdraw from a study, the right to refuse to answer questions, and so on is not easily adapted into non-Western, traditional cultural settings. The content of these statements needs to be clarified within each setting, and respondents should review and agree upon procedures to be followed. Four Principles of Ethical Conduct 1. Because reproductive health is an important social good, promoting reproductive health and improving conditions for its attainment are ethical obligations.