Legislation that may affect ethics during research are the federal HIPAA laws and statutes governing the obligation to disclose confidential information without the consent of the patient when it is to protect someone, especially a third party.
Explanation:
Although there are many instances where laws themselves can be viewed as codifications of certain ethical values, there are also situations where the law and ethics can be at odds. Two examples of this tension can be found when it comes to research settings in the social work and psychology fields. There are statutes governing the obligation to report suspected abuse and neglect for example, especially of children and elders, as well as other vulnerable people with disabilities. There are also statutes that assure the rights of minors in consenting to mental health counseling and drug and alcohol abuse treatment. There are also laws governing the obligation to disclose confidential information without the consent of the patient when it is to protect third parties. The federal HIPAA laws can also affect research in the sense of what kind of data about patients can be collected and shared.
