Question

Would it be ethical to use convicted criminals as subjects for medical experiments? If so, under what circumstances and according to which of the following theories or principles (utilitarianism, social contract theory, Kantian ethics)? (300-400 words)

Answer 1

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It would be ethical to use convicted criminals as a subject for medical experiments under the utilitarianism principles of ethics which state that any action will be considered an unethical as long as it is done for the good of a particular person or community only but if any action is done for the good of the society as a whole then that action will be considered ethical. In this case the participation of convicts into medical experiments will lead into greater good of the society which means that it qualifies as one of the ethical grounds for the utilitarianism principles. To make the concept more ethical in itself consent can be asked from the criminals before asking them to participate in these medical experiments, this will result in higher rates of participation because even if a few of all the criminals agreed to participate in the medical experiments then also it will help in researching as a whole.