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Ethical Evaluation Of The PHS Decision Regarding The Tuskegee Study

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Nicole Mills Professor Gilson Ethics and Moral Problems 1 May 2024 Ethical Evaluation of the PHS Decision Regarding the Tuskegee Study The Tuskegee Study of Untreated Syphilis in the Negro Male stands as a dark chapter in the history of medical research, raising profound ethical questions that continue to resonate to this day. The decision by the U.S. Public Health Service (PHS) to continue the study, despite its clear violations of ethical principles, warrants examination from multiple ethical perspectives. To begin, one ethical position that can be applied to evaluate the PHS decision is consequentialism. Consequentialism assesses the morality of an action based on its outcomes. From this perspective, the decision to continue the Tuskegee Study may be viewed as unethical due to its detrimental …show more content…

In contrast, some proponents of the PHS decision may argue that the study provided valuable insights into the natural progression of syphilis and informed subsequent medical practices. They contend that the lengthy nature of the study provided a unique opportunity to observe the disease’s evolution over time, including its various stages, which may not have been possible by other means. However, while acknowledging these potential contributions, it is essential to recognize that the purported benefits of the Tuskegee Study must be weighed against its profound shortcomings and the harm inflicted upon its participants. The knowledge gained from the study could arguably have been obtained through ethically sound research methods that prioritize the well-being of participants. The ends cannot justify the means when the means involve the violation of ethical principles and the promotion of harm and injustice. In conclusion, the PHS decision to continue the Tuskegee Study was ethically unjustifiable, as it violated fundamental

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It has now been a quarter of a century, and yet the images and heartache that still evolve when the words "Tuskegee Syphilis Study" are brought up, still haunts people around the world and touches upon many professionals such as social workers, medical examiners, and so forth. Sometimes people hear about this disgusting human experiment in a highly visible way directed to the entire country as an example of what we as a country and people, in general, should not do. This occurred when the study first made national news in 1972, when President Clinton offered a formal apology, or when Hollywood actors star in a fictionalized television movie of the story. On the other hand the audience may become fainter: kept alive only by memories and stories told in the African American community, in queries that circulate over the world wide web and radio talk shows, or even in courses such as this one being taught by social workers, historians, sociologists, or bioethicists. This is neither the first nor the last unethical human experiment done under the human study for the medical purposes umbrella, basically stating it is ok to sacrifice a few people in the name of medical research.

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