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The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
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The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
George Annas, JD, MPH, Health Law Dept., Boston University School of Public Health, 715 Albany St, Boston, MA 02118, 617-6384626, annasgj@bu.edu
In the wake of September 11 all sorts of proposals were made to enhance the power of public health and law enforcement officials over the public. These involved changes in both federal and state laws, and would mostly have resulted in sacrificing the civil liberties of American citizens in response to a bioterrorist attack. The questions all of these proposals present include: 1. what makes them necessary? 2. what assumptions are they based on regarding the American public? 3. what impact are they likely to have in the event of a bioterrorist attack? and 4. in considering bioterrorism from a public health perspective, and given the theme of the meeting, should the American public be considered a friend or an ememy in responding to a bioterrorist attack? Relating to all of these questions is the overriding question of whether public health should embrace both a shift in the locus of power from states and communities to the federal government, and a shift in emphasis from protecting the publics' health to identifying, arresting, and prosecuting the perpetrators of bioterrorism.
Learning Objectives: Participants will be able to
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.