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Responsibilities of Researchers in Genetics

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Ethical Challenges in Genomics Research

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Abstract

What responsibilities do those engaged in genomics research have? It is vital to address this question, but the answer is unclear. In this chapter researcher responsibility is explored by examining responsibility in health, through comparison and contrast with the responsibilities of medical practitioners, with a brief consideration of the responsibilities in law, and philosophical consideration of the nature of responsibility. There have been recent calls for researchers in genomics to take on expanding responsibilities, but there are genuine difficulties, created for example by the large size of many research networks. Researchers may have specific responsibilities not just to particular research subjects, but also to the wider community. The responsibilities of research subjects are also considered. Just as we have seen in the case of individual autonomy, the wider context of responsibility must be addressed. Some key research findings from moral and social psychology about taking on or avoiding responsibility are considered.

The duty and responsibility for ascertaining the quality of the consent rests upon each individual who initiates, directs, or engages in the experiment. It is a personal duty and responsibility which may not be delegated to another with impunity.

Nuremberg Code (Trials of War Criminals before the Nuremberg Military Tribunals under Control Council Law No. 10, Vol. 2 1949).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Somerville College, Oxford University, Woodstock Road, Oxford, OX2 6HD, UK

    Dr. Paula Boddington

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  1. Dr. Paula Boddington
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Correspondence to Paula Boddington .

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Boddington, P. (2012). Responsibilities of Researchers in Genetics. In: Ethical Challenges in Genomics Research. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-23699-0_9

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