In this colorful conversation, Daniel Belkin and Mitch Belkin speak with Carl Schneider, JD about informed consent and the problematic nature of IRBs. We discuss the difficulties of patient education and whether patients actually want medical knowledge in order to guide their decision-making. We discuss the onerousness of IRB regulation, event licensing, the costs of inhibiting knowledge generation, as well as the paternalism of IRBs. We cover how "protections" for vulnerable groups counterintuitively harms these groups by preventing both the generation of knowledge and the development of treatments. Professor Schneider argues that IRBs should be abolished and the system of informed consent ought to be reconsidered.

Who is Carl Schneider?

Professor Carl Schneider is a lawyer and bioethicist. He is a Professor of Ethics, Morality, and the Practice of Law at University of Michigan. After attending University of Michigan Law School, he served as law clerk to Justice Potter Stewart of the United States Supreme Court. Schneider has authored several books, including The Censor's Hand: The Misregulation of Human-Subject Research and The Practice of Autonomy: Patients, Doctors, and Medical Decisions.

What is the External Medicine Podcast?

The External Medicine Podcast explores some of the most exciting ideas in medicine. Co-hosted by Daniel Belkin, MD, and Mitch Belkin, MD.

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