How children can be respected as 'ends' yet still be used as subjects in non-therapeutic research

Abstract

The question of whether or not children may be used as subjects in non-therapeutic research projects has generated a great deal of debate and received answers varying from 'no, never' to 'yes, if societal interests are served'. It has been claimed that a Kantian, deontological ethics would necessarily rule out such research, since valid consent would be impossible. The present paper gives a deontological argument for allowing children to be subjects in certain types of research.

KIE: A controversial ethical issue in human experimentation is the use of children as subjects in nontherapeutic research. Deontologists, arguing from the Kantian principles of moral duty and respect for persons, hold that it is wrong to subject anyone to the risks of research that is not designed for the subject's benefit. Utilitarians, subscribing to Mill's view that those actions are right which promote the greatest good for the greatest number, counter that the risks are justified if there is a strong possibility of sufficient benefit to others. Redmon argues that there are some conditions in which nontherapeutic research with children can be justified on Kantian grounds. He concludes that the research is permissible if the child can be expected to "identify" as an adult with the goals of the researcher, if the child assents to being a subject, and if the risks of participation are minimal.