A) How important were the research results and questions underlying this study? Could the information have been obtained in a different way?
b) The Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment exploited and demonstrated disrespect for people in minority cultures by failing to obtain individual informed consent for research or treatment. Are there circumstances in which one could show disrespect for persons who do not identify with the "majority" middle class culture through the practice of informed consent itself? (1)That is, are there important cultural variations in the emphasis placed on individual autonomy, and if so, how should those cultural differences be regarded? What implications does this have for which ethical standards should govern research in the country that you live in? (the standards of the country itself; the standards of the (presumably developed) country sponsoring the research; or some amalgam of both)?
(1)Example: In Muslim community, a husband can either consent or reject in behalf of his wife for volunteering.
A) In my opinion, the radiation studies should not have been conducted in secret from the subjects. How very harsh! The worst part is that the government was involved in the whole study. The government is meant to protect the people of it's nation, not put them to research without their knowledge. It is fine to keep a research a secret untill and unless it has no harm to an indivudual (eg. observing some sort of human behaviour) however, injecting individuals with zirconium, plutonium injections and full body radiation as well bomb tests for non-US citizens is totally unacceptable. I believe it is the worst method of conducting a research. I agree it is important to investigate the different reactions that affect human bodies in different ways for scientists and doctors but that certainly does not mean that such radiation experiments can be conducted on living human beings without their knowledge. It is more like taking them as "lab rats"...