A provision in the Bioterrorism Preparedness Act, (S. 1765), which the Senate passed Dec. 20, would allow the secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to establish new security restrictions for people possessing or transferring biological agents and toxins. Lawmakers also may codify new limitations on information exchange that have a significant impact on sharing and releasing information.
"The problem won't be regular FBI visits to universities," warns Ron Atlas, president-elect of the Washington, DC-based American Society of Microbiologists (ASM.) "It's going to be increased scrutiny by law enforcement of anyone doing dangerous pathogen research. That alone won't compromise intellectual freedom. But that combined with the public and political backlash certainly will."
Atlas cautions that new laws could severely affect researchers' working conditions so that few would work under the increased scrutiny. These laws compound the problems already faced by universities that have experienced FBI visits and queries, requiring many ...
