In the Wake of Terror ─ Medicine and Morality in a Time of Crisis

The war on terrorism and the threat of chemical and biological weapons have brought anew urgency to already complex moral and bioethical questions. In the Wake of Terror presentsthought-provoking essays on many of the troubling issues facing American society, written by expertsfrom the fields of medicine, health care policy, law, political science, history, philosophy, andtheology.One of the first potential casualties of catastrophic circumstances is civil liberties. Inthe past, medical experiments conducted for national security purposes have violated ethicalstandards, and this book questions whether current policy provides sufficient safeguards againstfurther abuses. It also focuses on public health issues, offering contrasting views on the extent towhich civil authorities should be allowed to restrict freedom of movement in the name of nationalsecurity and debating whether aggressive public health interventions improve public confidence andcooperation or detract from them.A major area of concern is preparedness for future terroristattacks. Chapters are devoted to ethical issues involved in the development, distribution, andrationing of vaccines and antidotes; resource allocation and medical triage; the moral duties ofemergency health workers and other first responders; and the obligations of private entities such asmanaged care organizations and pharmaceutical companies. Contributors also address the implicationsof terrorism for our health insurance system and the role of genetic advances in bioterrorism.Underlying all of these issues, the authors argue, is the need to maintain a spirit of socialsolidarity, which can in turn only be achieved if preparations are publicly acknowledged andgenerally regarded as both prudent and fair.