Section 24171 Of Chapter 1.3. Human Experimentation From California Health And Safety Code >> Division 20. >> Chapter 1.3.
24171
. The Legislature hereby finds and declares that medical
experimentation on human subjects is vital for the benefit of
mankind, however such experimentation shall be undertaken with due
respect to the preciousness of human life and the right of
individuals to determine what is done to their own bodies.
The Legislature further finds and declares that:
(a) The Nuremberg Code of Ethics in Medical Research was developed
after the trial of Nazi war criminals for unethical use of persons
in medical experiments; subsequently, the Declaration of Helsinki
additionally established recommendations guiding doctors in
experimentation involving human subjects.
(b) Neither the Nuremberg Code nor the Declaration of Helsinki are
codified under law and are, therefore, unenforceable.
(c) It is necessary that medical experimentation be done in such a
way as to protect the rights of the human subjects involved.
(d) There is, and will continue to be, a growing need for
protection for citizens of the state from unauthorized, needless,
hazardous, or negligently performed medical experiments on human
beings.
It is, therefore, the intent of the Legislature, in the enacting
of this chapter, to provide minimum statutory protection for the
citizens of this state with regard to human experimentation and to
provide penalties for those who violate such provisions.