The three words “morality and biological weapons” do not belong in the same sentence, because biological weapons can kill thousands of innocent people and this only one of the reasons why biological weapons are morally wrong. Research shows that 1-10% of the general population are not vaccinated against all bacteria that can be used as a biological weapon, and if a toxin were released into a city’s water or food supplies millions of innocent people will be eliminate (Biological Warfare Pros and Cons, pg. 2).
This paraphrase does support the fact that biological weapons can kill innocent people, because it shows that most of the population are not able to fight the disease that is being released upon them. In 2001, a letter that was mailed to Senator Tom Daschle didn’t appear life threatening, but was life threatening because the envelope contained a form of bacteria known as anthrax (CNN article on Anthrax). If the anthrax virus had not been contained to the original envelope there is no way to know how many people would have been infected, maybe thousands then millions, there is nothing moral about this and other biological weapons.
Many biological agents, including bacteria, viruses and toxins can be used as a biological weapon that is why the medical world must always remember that biological agents can be used in any ordinary outbreak (Edward M. Eitzen Jr. , M. D. /Use of Biological Weapons). How many people died in the Ebola outbreak in Africa last year, how many people entered the United States or other countries infected with the Ebola virus, how many health care workers were infected with the virus; nobody said that the Ebola outbreak was a biological attack, viruses are easily spread and thousands are killed by viruses every year.
In 1972, more than 100 nations including the United States, the former Soviet Union and Iraq signed the Biological Weapons Convention Treaty, this document’s goal was to eliminate all types of weapons of mass destruction, and prohibited the production and stockpiling of chemical and biological weapons (Edward M. Eitzen Jr. , M. D. / Use of Biological Weapons). If biological weapons were not a threat to people throughout the world why was it necessary to sign a treaty that would eliminate the weapons of mass destruction and prohibit the production and the stockpiling of biological weapons; the treaty was necessary because nations had to be stopped from continuing to poisoning and killing innocent people.
War brings tragedy, terrorist cause tragedies, but killing innocent people with biological weapons is not a tragedy, it is morally wrong!
Works Cited: Biological Warfare Pros and Cons: APECSEC. org pg. 2 CNN Article on Anthrax: http:/www. cnn. com/2001/US/12/21gen. anthrax. contamination/index Eitzen, Jr. , M. D. Edward M. M. P. H. , FACEP, FAAP Use of Biological Weapon, Chapter 20, pg. 438 Eitzen, Jr. , M. D. Edward M. M. P. H. , FACEP, FAAP Use of Biological Weapon, Chapter 20, pg. 446.