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Bioterrorism

In Brief

Since 2001, Bush has initiated a number of programs to combat the risk of bioterrorist attacks, and yet has not been thoroughly supportive of the Biological Weapons Convention. As a Senator, Kerry has supported the Administration's bills, and as Presidential candidate, supports greater coordination and maintenance of biodefense strategies.

Learn about Academia's Biological Studies in War Time.


In Detail

In essence, Bush's position on bio-terrorism reflects the position he has taken throughout his presidency. 1 He has increased bio-defense spending tremendously, by 1600% from 2001 to 2004. 2 His BioShield legislation, which encourages private development of vaccines, was recently signed into law. 3 The BioWatch initiative seeks to install detectors in major US cities, providing faster recognition of a bio-terrorist attack. His other policies are part of a larger process of readying America for any terrorist attack, including, for example, increased centralized coordination of emergency response organizations through programs such as the National Response Plan 4 and the National Incident Management System. 5

Most of Bush's campaigning on bioterrorism has been in response to a June 2 speech by John Kerry. 6,7,8 Bush has emphasized his bio-defense spending increases, and has stated that many of Kerry's claims of bio-defense lapses are being handled by the above-mentioned programs.

Bush has received bioterrorism-related criticism on two topics: mandatory military vaccinations and Project BioShield. The Bush administration strongly supports mandatory anthrax and smallpox vaccinations for the military, which some organizations strongly oppose because they believe that the vaccines are dangerous. 9

The opposition to Project BioShield comes from biotechnology companies themselves. A recent Washington Post article indicates that many companies feel that Project BioShield does not provide enough liability coverage for vaccines. 10 In a vote for which Kerry was absent, the Senate, including John Edwards, unanimously approved the bill.

John Kerry's bioterrorism platform focuses on coordination and maintenance. 11,12 He plans to appoint a single person who would oversee the nation's bio-defense plan and enhance cooperation between local and state authorities. A proposed national medical database would aid this effort. Kerry's Strategic Drugs and Vaccine Initiative would create a "Medical Arsenal of Democracy", designed to encourage the development of vaccines by overcoming legal hurdles currently faced by the medical industry. Kerry has also criticized several bio-defense cuts that Bush has proposed. Internationally, Kerry emphasizes international cooperation and claims that Bush "torpedoed" the Biological Weapons Convention.

In 2002, both Kerry and Edwards supported the Bioterrorism Defense Act. 13

References:
  1. www.georgewbush.com
  2. Bush increased biodefense spending by 1600% from 2001 to today, 3100% to 2005. 2005 budget calls for more HHS biodefense spending increases; Bush already proposed a BioSurveillance Initiative, which is like Kerry's real-time detector; Bush already spending on training workers; Kerry's Medical Arsenal equals Bush's BioShield.
    www.georgewbush.com
  3. Project BioShield Act of 2003 (S. 15): A bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to provide protections and countermeasures against chemical, radiological, or nuclear agents that may be used in a terrorist attack against the United States by giving the National Institutes of Health contracting flexibility, infrastructure improvements, and expediting the scientific peer review process, and streamlining the Food and Drug Administration approval process of countermeasures.
    In the Senate, passed 99-0.
    U.S. Senate
  4. This is the first stage. Effectively as stated above- it tries to tie together national organizations into one massive "all-discipline, all-hazards" plan. This part is mainly federal in scope, but will expand in the future. It was deployed on October 2003.
    Department of Homeland Security
  5. The "larger picture" from the NRP. It maintains coordination with a large overall organizing body (the Incident Command System), standardizes communications both between organizations and to the public, and receives input on change from the NIMS Integration Center (an oversight body).
    Department of Homeland Security
  6. The official summary of Kerry's bioterrorism speech on June 2, 2002.
    www.johnkerry.com (PDF)
  7. "Kerry Shifts Focus To Bioterrorism", 6/2/2004, CBS News
  8. www.georgewbush.com
  9. "Bush orders smallpox vaccine for military, himself", 1/30/2004, CNN.com
  10. "Bioshield Too Little for Drug Industry", 7/26/2004, Washington Post
  11. www.johnkerry.com (PDF)
  12. www.johnkerry.com
  13. Public Health Security and Bioterrorism Preparedness and Response Act of 2002 (H.R. 3448): To improve the ability of the United States to prevent, prepare for, and respond to bioterrorism and other public health emergencies.
    In the Senate, passed 98-0.
    U.S. Senate