Education, research and culture

Executive Order 12975: Protection of Human Research Subjects and Creation of National Bioethics Advisory Commission

President: Bill Clinton

Required federal agencies to review human-subject protections and created a national commission to advise on research ethics and genetic information.

Status: Revoked. Is Executive Order 12975 still in effect? No. Executive Order 12975 was revoked. See Executive Order 13316: Continuance of Certain Federal Advisory Committees, Federal Register record.

What does Executive Order 12975 do?

EO 12975 directed every executive agency conducting, supporting or regulating human-subject research to review its protections and report planned improvements within 120 days. It created the National Bioethics Advisory Commission, with up to 15 members, to advise on research ethics, prioritizing human-subject protections and genetic information. The commission issued reports through 2001 after several extensions. EO 13316 revoked the order in 2003 after the temporary body’s work ended.

Administration position: The commission developed ethical guidance and policy recommendations; it did not approve individual research projects or replace institutional review boards.
SignedOctober 3, 1995
Agency review deadline120 days
Commission membershipUp to 15

Before and after

Before the order

Federal agencies followed the Common Rule and related policies without this post-radiation-experiments review and national advisory body.

After the order

Agencies reviewed protections and NBAC produced government-wide bioethics recommendations.

Who had to do what

Agency / officeActionTiming / position
Research agenciesReview protections and report improvementsWithin 120 days
NBACAdvise on broad bioethical principlesDuring its charter
HHSFund and support the commissionSubject to appropriations

What happened next

EO 12975 ordered reviews and created NBAC.

EO 13316 revoked EO 12975.