Exploring Bioethics - NIH Office of Science Education - National ...

Students should recognize that researchers need to consider theappropriate balance of risks and benefits.13. Ask students the following questions to illustrate the importanceof balancing harms (risks) and benefits.• What if 90 percent of people who took this medication wouldnever have asthma again? That’s a very big benefit.• What if that benefit came at a cost of a fatal reaction in the other10 percent? Is that an acceptable balance? What if 1 percent had afatal reaction?14. Write the following on the board or a transparency to refer to asyou discuss how to best conduct an experiment from an ethicalstandpoint, and ask students to record these points in their notes.Researchers should• Avoid excessive harms to participants.• Ensure sufficient benefits to people in the future.• Balance harms and benefits appropriately.Activity 4:Returning to Your Decision about ParticipationEstimated Time: 10–15 minutesProcedure1. Ask students, “Do you wish to be in the asthma study now thatyou know more about it?” Ask all students who still want toparticipate in the study to raise their hands.2. Ask students, “Would you participate in the trial even if itprobably wouldn’t benefit you—because the formula isn’tperfected—but it might benefit future asthma sufferers?”Students should recognize that research is conducted primarily toadvance collective knowledge, not mainly as treatment for individuals in thetrial, and usually brings benefits to people in the future.NoteCheck with your school to makesure that policies allow distributionof candy. Depending on the policies, students may be ableto “take” the “medication.”3. Give an envelope to each student who chooses to participate.Be sure to hand out equal numbers of experimental andcontrol envelopes.4. Give participating students their “medicine” (from either thecontrol or experimental bottle of candy). 5-14 Exploring Bioethics