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Published on: November 30, 2022
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Blanket Consent and Trust in the Biobanking Context
Morten Ebbe Juul Nielsen1, Nana Cecilie Halmsted Kongsholm2
1University of Copenhagen, Karen Blixens Plads 8, 2300, Copenhagen S, Denmark.
Journal of Bioethical Inquiry
|September 6, 2022
Summary
Blanket consent for human genetic samples in biobanks is ethically permissible. Donors do not need to know all future uses, provided there is robust institutional oversight and justified trust.
Area of Science:
- Bioethics
- Genetics Research
- Biobanking
Background:
- Obtaining human genetic samples is crucial for biobank research.
- Ethical considerations, particularly informed consent, present significant challenges.
- Current ethical standards often require fully informed consent for sample use.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the ethical permissibility of a more liberal approach to consent in biobanking.
- To argue for the ethical defensibility of blanket consent for human genetic samples.
- To explore the role of trust and institutional oversight in validating consent.
Main Methods:
- Ethical argumentation and philosophical analysis.
- Examination of existing bioethical principles related to consent.
- Discussion of trust-relations in the context of research participation.
Main Results:
- A liberal approach to consent, where donors need not know all future uses, is ethically justifiable.
- Blanket consent is ethically defensible when supported by justified trust and robust institutional oversight.
- The study supports the permissibility of blanket consent within the biobanking framework.
Conclusions:
- Blanket consent is ethically permissible for human genetic samples in biobanks under specific conditions.
- Robust institutional oversight and justified trust are key ethical safeguards for blanket consent.
- This approach balances research needs with ethical donor protections.
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