The ethics of biodefense

Bioethics. 2005 Aug;19(4):432-46. doi: 10.1111/j.1467-8519.2005.00454.x.

Abstract

This essay reviews major areas of ethical debate with regard to biodefense, focusing on cases in which biodefense presents ethical problems that diverge from those presented by naturally-occurring outbreaks of infectious disease. It concludes with a call for ethicists to study not only the ethical issues raised in biodefense programs, but also the ethics of biodefense more generally.

MeSH terms

  • Biological Warfare / ethics
  • Biomedical Research / ethics*
  • Bioterrorism / prevention & control*
  • Civil Rights
  • Confidentiality / ethics
  • Containment of Biohazards
  • Disaster Planning
  • Disease Outbreaks / prevention & control
  • Epidemiology / ethics
  • Humans
  • Immunization Programs / ethics
  • Nontherapeutic Human Experimentation / ethics
  • Public Health Administration / ethics*
  • Public Policy*
  • Publishing / ethics
  • Resource Allocation / ethics
  • Risk Assessment
  • United States