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> If you are independent and including others in your research, you are only bound by general medical ethics. The National Research Act and the Belmont report

> If you are independent and including others in your research, you are only bound by general medical ethics. The National Research Act and the Belmont report were created in opposition to this attitude. Henry Beecher led the fight (in the 1960s, preceeding the NRA and Belmont report) to make including others in your research be subject to research ethics, not just medical ethics, and to enforce this with regulation. The regulation was focused on institutions because at the time research was done by institutions. Now, post-internet and post-genetics revolution, we're retreading the same ground but with different details. A different approach is therefore warranted, but a free-for-all is just as unacceptable as it was in the early 20th century. I understand that this is unwelcome and is certainly inconvenient, but institutional science succeeded in regulating itself, and biohacking can do the same.

ramblenode 5y ago
> A different approach is therefore warranted What is the different approach? 1. Autonomy (informed consent), 2. beneficence, 3. non-maleficence ("do no harm"), 4. justice (distribution of treatment where it is limited) are the principles that bind doctors who are operating on patients. What principles would you expect an independent researcher to uphold beyond what a doctor currently upholds? All other factors considered, as long as these principles are upheld, a doctor is free to try a new surgery for the purpose of exploring its effectiveness, i.e. engage in research. This is not new; private doctors have been testing procedures of varying risk without an IRB since the time of these commissions. Any researcher who violates these principles--where there is a harm to a research subject--is almost certainly liable under criminal fraud and torts laws. It is not a "free-for-all", as you characterize it.

ramblenode 5y ago

> A different approach is therefore warranted What is the different approach? 1. Autonomy (informed consent), 2. beneficence, 3. non-maleficence ("do no harm"), 4. justice (distribution of treatment where it is limited) are the principles that bind doctors who are operating on patients. What principles would you expect an independent researcher to uphold beyond what a doctor currently upholds? All other factors considered, as long as these principles are upheld, a doctor is free to try a new surgery for the purpose of exploring its effectiveness, i.e. engage in research. This is not new; private doctors have been testing procedures of varying risk without an IRB since the time of these commissions. Any researcher who violates these principles--where there is a harm to a research subject--is almost certainly liable under criminal fraud and torts laws. It is not a "free-for-all", as you characterize it.