Deadly Deception Summary

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The Deadly Deception video scrutinizes the unjust practices of a syphilis study that began in the 1930’s on the campus of Tuskegee Institute by the U.S. Public Health Service. The experiment was conducted using hundreds of African American men that were mainly poor and illiterate. The study was called the Tuskegee Study of Untreated Syphilis in the Negro Male. Participates were deceived and lured in by promises of free medical care and survivors insurance. The study took advantage of an oppressed and vulnerable population that was in need of medical care. Some of the many ethical concerns of this experiment were the lack of informed consent, invasion of privacy, deception of participants, physical harm, mental harm, and a lack of gain versus harm. One ethical problem in this experiment was that the benefits did not outweigh the harm to participants. At the conclusion of the study there were virtually no benefits for the participants or to the treatment of syphilis. We now have …show more content…

Today there are institutional review boards that are designated to approve and monitor research studies to ensure ethical standards are being met (Dudley, 2011, p. 45). As social work practice becomes more evidence-based, the worker will have an increased obligation to advocate for conducting and consuming research that aligns with ethical standards. A practicing social worker can help ensure the ethical treatment of their clients by empowering them to take an active role in their treatment decisions and goals. Three important mandates of the Council on Social Work Education that are directly relevant to research are adhering to the values and ethics of social work, promoting an understanding and commitment to diversity, and promoting human rights and social and economic justice (Dudley,

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