National Commission for the Protection of Human Subjects of Biomedical and Behavioral Research Collection, 1974 -1978

Processed by Lucinda Glenn Rand; machine-readable finding aid created by Xiuzhi Zhou
Graduate Theological Union Archives
2400 Ridge Road
Berkeley, California, 94709
Phone: (510) 649-2523/2501
Email: archives@gtu.edu
URL: http://www.gtu.edu/library/special-collections/archives
© 1999
The Graduate Theological Union. All rights reserved.

National Commission for the Protection of Human Subjects of Biomedical and Behavioral Research Collection, 1974 -1978

Accession number: GTU 94-6-05

Shelf location: 2/D/4 - 2/E/1

The Graduate Theological Union Archives



Berkeley, California

Contact Information:

  • Graduate Theological Union Archives
  • 2400 Ridge Road
  • Berkeley, California, 94709
  • Phone: (510) 649-2523/2501
  • Email: archives@gtu.edu
  • URL: http://www.gtu.edu/library/special-collections/archives
Processed by:
Lucinda Glenn Rand
Date Completed:
October 17, 1994
Cataloged:
10/19/94
Encoded by:
Xiuzhi Zhou
© 1999 Graduate Theological Union. All rights reserved.

Descriptive Summary

Title: National Commission For The Protection Of Human Subjects Of Biomedical And Behavioral Research Collection,
Date (inclusive): 1974 -1978
Accession number: GTU 94-6-05
Shelf location: 2/D/4 - 2/E/1
Size: Number of containers: 11 boxes

Linear feet: 10 1/2
Type of material: Working files.
Repository: The Graduate Theological Union.
Berkeley, California
Language: English.

Administrative Information

Source and Date

Karen Lebacqz, 1994

Access

Collection is open for research.

Publication Rights

Copyright has not been assigned to The Graduate Theological Union. All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Archivist. Permission for publication is given on behalf of The Graduate Theological Union as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained by the reader.

Preferred Citation

[Identification of item], National Commission for the Protection of Human Subjects of Biomedical and Behavioral Research Collection, GTU 94-6-05, The Graduate Theological Union Archives, Berkeley, CA.

Access Points

Human experimentation in medicine --Moral and ethical aspects
Medicine --Research --Moral and ethical aspects
Bioethics
Medical ethics
Lebacqz, Karen, 1945-

Biographical/Historical Description

The "National Commission for the Protection of Human Subjects of Biomedical and Behavioral Research" (1974 -78) was established by Congress under the National Research Act: Public Law 93-348, Title II, Part A (July 12, 1974). Dr. Karen Lebacqz, Professor of Christian Ethics, Pacific School of Religion, was appointed as a member of the Commission.
The purpose of the Commission was "to (1) conduct a comprehensive investigation and study to identify the basic ethical principles which should underlie the conduct of biomedical and behavioral research involving human subjects, (2) develop guidelines which should be followed in such research to assure that it is conducted in accordance with such principles, and (3) make recommendations to the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare for such administrative action as may be appropriate to apply such guidelines . . . ." The duties of the Commission were to "include the following: (1) identify the requirements for informed consent to participation by the institutionalized mentally infirm; (2) consider the appropriateness of applying the principles and guidelines identified and developed by the Commission to the delivery of health services to patients under programs conducted or supported by the Secretary [of HEW]; consider the mechanisms for evaluating and monitoring the performance of Institutional Review Boards . . . [and] undertake a comprehensive study of the ethical, social and legal implications of advances in biomedical and behavioral research and technology." (Charterfor the Commission: Box 1, ff 1)
The Commission published reports on: Research Involving the Fetus, Research Involving Children, Institutional Review Boards, Research Involving Those Institutionalized as Mentally Infirm, Research Involving Prisoners, Psychosurgery, Disclosure of Research Information, Ethical Guidelines for the Delivery of Health Services by DHEW, and The Special Study: A Comprehensive Study of the Ethical, Legal, and Social Implications of Advances in Biomedical and Behavioral Research and Technology." ("Bioethics Commissions: What Can We Learn from Their Successes and Failures": Box 6, ff 6)

Scope and Content

The working files for the National Commission for the Protection of Human Subjects of Biomedical and Behavioral Research came directly from the Karen Lebacqz and was contained in one file cabinet and several boxes. The boxes contained 3-ring binders primarily for work on fetus research; also, copies of the transcripts of Commission meetings. The collection has been kept in the donor's original order using the donor's original broad subject headings. Not all of the final published reports are included in the collection.

Under each broad subject heading are background materials for the commission's work including essays, position papers, correspondence, newsclips, public hearings, staff draft reports, site visits, and other relevant materials.
Box Box 1, Folder ff 1-17

Administration

Folder ff 18-19

Biomedical vs. Behavioral

Folder ff 20-32

Boundaries

Folder ff 33-72

Children

Box Box 2, Folder ff 1-2

Children (con't.)

Folder ff 3-13

CIA/Army

Folder ff 14-17

Compensation

Folder ff 18-41

Delivery of Services

Folder ff 42-54

Disclosure of Research Information

Box Box 3, Folder ff 1

Disclosure of Research Information (con't.)

Folder ff 2

Elderly

Folder ff 3-23

Ethical Principles

Folder ff 24-29

FDA

Folder ff 30-49

Fetus Research

Box Box 4, Folder ff 1-17

Fetus Research (con't.)

Folder ff 18-39

Institutionalized as Mentally Infirm

Box Box 5, Folder ff 1-7

Institutionalized as Mentally Infirm (con't.)

Folder ff 8

Informed Consent

Folder ff 9-29

Institutional Review Boards (there is no ff 19, misnumbered in processing)

Folder ff 30-33

Minority Conference

Folder ff 34-40

Miscellaneous

Box Box 6, Folder ff 1-6

Miscellaneous (con't.)

Folder ff 7

National Institute of Health Normal Volunteer Patient Program

Folder ff 8-9

Non-HEW Research

Folder ff 10

President's Biomedical Research Panel

Folder ff 11-62

Prisoners

Box Box 7, Folder ff 1-33

Prisoners (con't.)

Folder ff 34-54

Psychosurgery

Folder ff 55-65

Recombinant DNA

Box Box 8, Folder ff 1-3

Recombinant DNA (con't.)

Folder ff 4-12

Risk-Benefit

Folder ff 13

Selection of Subjects

Folder ff 14-32

Social Science Research

Folder ff 33-41

Special Study (A Comprehensive Study of the Ethical, Legal, and Social Implications of Advances in Biomedical and Behavioral Research and Technology)

Folder ff 42-45

Swine Flu

Folder ff 46

TRACES Report (Technology in Retrospect and Critical Events in Science, 1968-69)

Folder ff 47

Transcripts of Commission Meetings, 1974

Box Box 9, Folder ff 1-17

Transcripts of Commission Meetings (con't.), 1975-76

Box Box 10, Folder ff 1-13

Transcripts of Commission Meetings (con't.), 1976-78

Folder ff 14

Published Report, Research Involving Children, 1977

Box Box 11, Folder ff 1-2

Published Report and Appendix, Research Involving Prisoners, 1977

Folder ff 3-4

Published Report and Appendix, Psychosurgery, 1976