MEDICAL ETHICS AND BIOTERRORISM: EMERGING CHALLENGES
AUTHOR – AKSHAYA S, STUDENT ATTHE TAMILNADU DR. AMBEDKAR LAW UNIVERSITY
BEST CITATION – AKSHAYA S, MEDICAL ETHICS AND BIOTERRORISM: EMERGING CHALLENGES, INDIAN JOURNAL OF LEGAL REVIEW (IJLR), 5 (14) OF 2025, PG. 729-743, APIS – 3920 – 0001 & ISSN – 2583-2344.
ABSTRACT
Bioterrorism—the intentional release of biological agents to cause widespread disease, fear, and societal disruption—has emerged as one of the most complex and ethically challenging threats of the twenty-first century. Unlike conventional terrorism, biological attacks exploit the vulnerability of public health systems, the invisibility of pathogens, and the interconnectedness of global populations. This paper provides a comprehensive examination of the evolving landscape of bioterrorism and its intersection with medical ethics. It traces the historical trajectory of biological weapons from ancient methods of poisoning wells to sophisticated modern techniques involving genetic engineering, laboratory manipulation of viruses, and the misuse of synthetic biology. The study highlights how bioterrorism challenges the traditional pillars of medical ethics—autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence, and justice—by forcing healthcare professionals to balance individual rights against collective safety. Physicians must confront dilemmas related to mandatory reporting, quarantine, allocation of scarce resources, and personal risk during outbreaks. The paper further analyzes legal and regulatory frameworks, particularly the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC), WHO guidelines, and India’s statutory mechanisms such as the Epidemic Diseases Act and Disaster Management Act. It also examines contemporary concerns including dual-use research, cyber-biosecurity, AI-assisted pathogen design, and the ethical oversight of high-risk biological laboratories. The study argues that the rise of emerging pathogens, global travel, and technological democratization has increased the probability of intentional or accidental biological incidents. Therefore, medical ethics must expand into a broader framework of biosecurity ethics, emphasizing preparedness, transparency, public trust, and rights-based public health governance. The paper concludes that an ethically informed biodefense strategy is essential to protect societies while preserving human dignity and civil liberties.
KEYWORDS: Bioterrorism, Medical Ethics, Biosecurity, Biological Weapons Convention, Medical Professionals.