I, personally, wouldn’t mind if my blood or anything was used for research. It would be an honor for me to find out that I had cured cancer or something! J The only thing that would make me mad would be if I had a rare disease and they manipulated the sample or turned it into something else. It can be tested and observed, just not changed. Another thing I would fear would be if they used it to make a replica of me. How am I supposed to know what they’re going to do with it? I would want to be informed on what I’m helping with, and if they never asked for permission, I would be a little scared of what might happen. I think it would be a great thing for me to help contribute to cures and life-saving medications. I wouldn’t really understand why they wouldn’t ask for consent, but I definitely wouldn’t mind.
After reading the article, my views have slightly changed. I think it was wrong for them to say that they feared patients saying no. If the patient says no, it means no. That doesn’t mean you should just skip asking them. I also think that it was wrong for them to sell her cells. The least they could have done is offer her some compensation. It would be different if she allowed them to do research, then it was voluntary and she shouldn’t receive anything. But because she was never asked, they should have to make it up to her.
Bottom line, researchers should ask for approval before using samples from patients. If I were to find out that my cells were being used for finding a cure for diabetes, I would not be mad. As long as I know what it’s for, I would feel privileged.
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