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Beige title page of the Belmont Report by the National Commission for the Protection of Human Subjects of Biomedical and Behavioral Research
Title page of the Belmont Report.

The "Belmont Report" is issued.

1979

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Title page of the Belmont Report.

The report, which is written by the National Commission for the Protection of Human Subjects of Biomedical and Behavioral Research, expands the guidelines on consent and autonomy in human medical experimentation. It outlines particular classes of research subjects, including children, incarcerated people, and people with disabilities, who are in need of "extensive protection" due to limitations on their autonomy.

It remains an essential reference for institutional review boards (IRBs) today, which determine which research projects with human subjects meet ethical requirements.