The concept of vulnerability is central to the ethics of human subjects research.
Humans participating in research must be offered protection from risks; vul-nerable subjects require additional protections. Despite common usage of theterm "vulnerability" and its centrality to "protection," the meaning and scopeof the concept of vulnerability remain elusive. What, in fact, is vulnerability?
Who is vulnerable, and to what? How must vulnerable persons be protected,
and from what must they protected? In this chapter we will attempt to lay outa framework to help IRBS apply the concept and evaluate when potential re-search subjects may be vulnerable in relevant ways. - P465