California Health and Safety Code

§ 24171

HSC § 24171Div. 20 · Ch. 1.3

Statute text

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.

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Legislative history

Added by Stats. 1978, Ch. 360.