(Liz Klimas) Although the idea of using technology to enhance the human body or mind for both health and military purposes is nothing new, a report is saying the field is advancing so rapidly that the ethical considerations for military use can no longer be overlooked.
The report by California Polytechnic State University researchers Patrick Lin, Maxwell Mehlman and Keith Abney for The Greenwall Foundation states there is a “significant lag time” between development of technology and discussion of its proper use. They believe the government from a policy direction is not yet adequately considering the implications of such technology either.
They wrote:
As with other emerging military technologies, such as robotics and cyber-capabilities, human enhancement technologies challenge existing laws and policy, as well as underlying ethical values. But while the implications of human enhancement generally have been widely discussed, little analysis currently exists for the military context—specifically operational, ethical, and legal implications of enhancing warfighters, such as:
How safe should these human enhancements and new medical treatments be prior to their deployment (considering recent controversies such as mandatory anthrax vaccinations)? Must enhancements be reversible or temporary (considering that most warfighters will return to society as civilians)? Could enhancements count as “biological weapons” under the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention (considering that the term is not clearly defined)?
