HREC members' personal values influence decision making in contentious cases

Authors

Boris Handal, The University of Notre Dame AustraliaFollow
Kevin Watson, The University of Notre Dame AustraliaFollow
Keagan Brewer, The University of Notre Dame AustraliaFollow
Marc Fellman, The University of Notre Dame AustraliaFollow
Marguerite Maher, The University of Notre Dame AustraliaFollow

Publication Details

Handal, B., Watson, K., Brewer, K., Fellman, M., & Maher, M. (2017). HREC members' personal values influence decision making in contentious cases. Ethical Perspectives: Journal of the European Ethics Network, 24 (3), 405-439.

Abstract

This article identifies 14 contentious issues faced by Human Research Ethics Committees (HRECs). The authors argue that HREC members will respond variably to these issues based on their own fundamental values and worldview. In particular, we propose that personal interpretations of current ethics regulations and HREC members’ attitudes to consequentialism, Kantianism, and utilitarianism in some cases affect their responses to contentious research issues. We seek to promote understanding of how personal and professional back­grounds of HREC reviewers influence their approaches to value-laden issues embedded in ethics applications. Taking the form of a literature review, our con­tribution highlights the need for further exploration of how HREC members make decisions, and what factors influence the outcomes of ethics applications.

Keywords

ethics, review, HREC, research, values

Link to Publisher Version (URL)

http://www.ethical-perspectives.be