Ethical Principles In The Film 'Miss Evers Boys'

The Tuskegee Experiment Study was a research experiment targeting a group of African American males who had syphilis in which they after failing to acquire the needed funds to continue the study decided along with the government to discontinue all treatments for the control and no-control males to determine ultimately whether or not it had the same outcome for white people as it did African Americans. The men participating in the study were informed by Nurse Evers that they were to be treated for "bad blood,” which was a localized term used by people to describe a host of

All four of these ethical principles were questioned and disregarded in the Tuskegee Syphilis

The Tuskegee Syphilis experiment was an experiment conducted on 399 black mean during the course of forty years. The subjects for this experiment were illiterate

The Tuskegee study of Untreated Syphilis began in 1932, mainly designed to determine the history of untreated latent syphilis on 600 African American men in Tuskegee, Alabama. 201 out of 600 men were non-syphilitic just unknowingly involved in the study as a control group This study is known to be “the most infamous biomedical research study in the U.S history”. Most of these men had never visited a doctor and they had no idea what illness they had. All of the men agreed to be a participant thinking they were being treated for “bad blood” and plus they were given free medical care and meals.

Although it was a dramatization of events, the film serves as an education tool for viewers, especially those who are unfamiliar with the history of the Tuskegee Syphilis Study. Moreover, the film is easily digestible for the audience to learn about the study and to bring awareness to it. Additionally, the film presented factual and almost precise statistics and figures regarding the study (Hermann 150-160, Kalman 6). The approach of telling the story through the perspective of Nurse Evers allows viewers to understand the moral and ethical implications of the study and misconduct of the physicians. By providing context about the patients lives before the study, the film helps to humanize them and allow viewers to empathize with their experiences (Kalman 1-2).

An Analyzation of Beneficence Throughout world history, many immoral research studies have been performed on human subjects. The film, Miss Evers’ Boys, does an outstanding job of portraying a study that was implemented in Tuskegee, Alabama in 1932 (Benedetti, Fishburne, & Sargent, 1997). Miss Evers’ Boys creatively depicts the Tuskegee Experiment, of which studied the natural course of syphilis in African American men. Although penicillin became known as a treatment for syphilis during the 1940’s, the subjects remained deliberately untreated by researchers for decades (Burns, Gray, & Groves, 2014). The striking unethical acts performed in this study helped pave the way towards the founding of The Belmont Report, a set of regulations written to protect human research subjects in 1974 (Burns et al., 2014).

The main purpose of the study was, “...to record the natural history of syphilis in hopes of justifying treatment programs for blacks.” (U.S. Public Health Service Syphilis Study at Tuskegee) This shows that some benefit came from all of the bad of the study. The doctors performed the study, “... to understand the disease's natural history throughout time and to also determine proper treatment dosage for specific people and the best time to receive injections of treatments.” (Reverby, Susan.)

The Tuskegee Syphilis Case Study is an important historical event that has influenced current ethical guidelines and regulations with the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). This Case Study was a prime example of how the United States violated the rights and welfare of human test subjects. This study was designed in the year 1932, by the United States Public Health Service in Tuskegee, Alabama. Which studied black males with a natural history of untreated syphilis in the early 1930s this case study was supposed to last a few months but ended up becoming a long-term study until the year 1972. This study enrolled 600 African-American men; 400 with the disease and 200 as a control group.

Nurse Evers felt she had no other choice but to continue helping these men in hope that they would eventually receive the treatment they needed. In her eyes the care these men were receiving were better than no care at all. When doing research it’s important to avoid racism, inequality, bias and prejudice. The participants were in a difficult situation to say no. It’s unfortunate to see how the system considered them expendable and

In a time of racism, physicians questioned the natural course and treatment of syphilis. Especially “around 1929, six counties in America had high rates of syphilis—above 20 percent—… In 1930, this foundation surveyed African-American men in Macon Country, Alabama, where Tuskegee is the chief town” (Pence, 192). Tuskegee had one of the highest rates of syphilis in the U.S. and happened to inhibit a majority of black citizens. This unfortunate combination of racism, curiosity in syphilis and the start of the Great Depression led to U.S. Public Health Service to victimize the African American Males who would later be involved what would be known as the Tuskegee Study.

Nurses are faced with ethical dilemmas related to clinical issues, and disease and treatment decisions daily (Kangasniemi,

The Tuskegee syphilis project was a study based on prejudices and unethical practices. The study began in1932 in Macon County, Alabama where a large number of black sharecroppers resided. The study included 600 African American men of which 399 had syphilis. The premise of the project was to study the effects of syphilis on the African American male. The men were told only that they were participating in a study and being treated for “bad blood.”

Ethics serve as a guide for moral and ethical conduct and thus treat people with dignity, respect and uniqueness regardless of age, sex, color or religion. Also adhere to their job description and within the nation’s healthcare workforce. Surveys from several nursing specializations reported that there is no differences in

A nurse must keep up to date on education and new processes in health-care, so they can provide the best care. As a nurse, you have promised to give each of your patients the best care that can possibly be given. Nurses must follow a code of ethics, to act safely, provide ethical care no matter how they feel about the patient or the reason they are in your care. Following this code of ethics shows your commitment to caring for people and society, it is a guide of ethics and standards to follow to keep everyone safe. Nursing is also a wonderful opportunity to meet hundreds of people from almost every nationality and every walk of life.

The practice of health care includes many scenarios that have to do with making adequate decisions when it comes to a patient’s life, and the way they are treated. Having an ethical code in all health care organizations is very important, because it helps health care workers with reaching a suited and ethical decision when it comes to the patient. In health care, patient will always be put first, and their autonomy will always be respected. Nevertheless, when there is a situation where a patient might be in harm, or might be making their condition worse because of the decisions they made. Health care workers will always be there to