Using Placebos in Research Involving Terminal Illnesses

Placebos are medical interventions that falsely lead patients to believe that they are receiving treatment and that their condition is being changed, when truly no specific treatment is being administered. Using placebos in research involving terminal illnesses has become debatable. While a placebo could potentially give way to new treatments, through testing alongside a specific drug in a clinical trial, the placebo itself may fail and the patient is not cured leading to possible fatality. It has been found that using placebos in research, like performing surgeries, can aid in medical or clinical research and could help our society financially by discouraging unnecessary operations. On the other hand, there are also risks involved, including the health risks that may result from the placebo-controlled trial, and most importantly the justification and ethics of using placebos on patients without their consent. While evaluating several studies involving placebo-induced treatments, we have discovered methods in which placebos can help society; although these helpful means can also raise issues regarding one’s ethics. Using placebos in treatments will not necessarily treat the illness itself, but they can be beneficial towards research in discovering new treatments for terminal illnesses. Ethical Question Is it ethical to use placebos in research involving terminal illnesses? Is it ethical to use placebos on patients who believe that they are really being treated for their illness