Ethical Issues of Human Test Subjects Essay -- Radioactive Technology

Ethical Issues of Human Test Subjects As we achieve burgeons of new technologies, we must also face the irreprehensible sacrifices. The old scientific adage reminds us that no trial can go without error. Many of the present day technologies may prove beneficial but the processes of development and discovery often come at high prices. Countless experiments have been conducted in the names of science and the advancement of mankind. Regardless of their outcomes, these experiments require some form of a test subject. Any life sustaining test subject has been the root of many ethical issues, with human test subjects being one of the most controversial. Granted the advantageous products of labor, the definition for what we, as moral humans, are willing to sacrifice still lays a little rough. One of many ethical dilemmas arises when we question as where to draw the line for human test subjects. Test subjects are not always guaranteed the safety of their outcomes and this generates a lot of debate to what extent we are prepared to tolerate for the sake of advancing technology. The past century has unveiled many new revels in science and technology. Nuclear technology is one of the more recent brinks of discovery. Over the past 60 years or so, scientists have been on a gold rush for the nuclear power. New elements were being discovered and the potentials of their peculiar characteristics drew in more and more people. Highly radioactive substances were being tested for their potencies at the subatomic level. The gain in this scurry for answers was partially politically charged, if not totally for educational purposes. The United States was amid the throng of countries entering the World War II. If one of the most ... ...ficiencies. This does not necessarily mean that the human resource can be misused. By maintaining a code of ethics in human experimentation, we can all advance forward. People should be willing to accept the risks involved in human experimentation, including death. Certain demographics or distinctions in people should not set them apart from a testing pool. With nuclear power and radioactivity as still relatively new ideas, the course of discovery has yet to be traveled. It is only up to us to be vigilant and consciously aware of our actions. References: 1.http://tis-nt.eh.doe.gov/ohre/roadmap/achre/chap7_5.html 2.http://www.dc.peachnet.edu/~shale/humanities/composition/assignments/experiment/fernald.html 3.http://the-tech.mit.edu/V114/N28/fernald.28n.html 4.http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/radiation/dir/mstreet/backgnd/exper/radhum.txt