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The Belmont Report

In 1979, The National Commission for the Protection of Human Subjects of Biomedical and Behavioral Research issued the Belmont Report, a ground-breaking document outlining ethical principles and guidelines for human subjects protection. The Belmont Report proposed three basic principles to under-gird ethical and responsible research:

  • Respect for Persons - individuals should be treated as autonomous agents and allowed to choose whether or not to participate in research. Extra protection should be afforded to those with diminished autonomy (pregnant women, children, prisoners, etc). People are not means to an end.
  • Beneficence –strive for kindness that goes beyond mere duty. Researchers should attempt to maximize benefits and minimize risks. A corollary is non-maleficence: “Do no harm.”
  • Justice - burdens and benefits of research should be distributed equitably and people should be treated fairly.

Almost thirty years later, these principles, translated and embedded in federal and state regulations that mandate Informed Consent and the establishment of Independent Review Boards (IRB), continue to guide human subjects research.