Treating the Troops

Abstract

On 2 August 1990, Iraq invaded Kuwait. Since it was then apparent\nthat the U.S. might engage Iraq in combat and that Iraq might use biological\nand chemical weaponry, the Department of Defense (DoD) explored all means by\nwhich servicepersons could be protected. Several compounds (the word compound\nwill be used to refer to drugs and vaccines throughout this paper) were\nbelieved to be highly safe and efficacious. Yet since the safety and efficacy\nof the compounds considered had not been tested on human subjects exposed to\nbiological and chemical weaponry, by definition they were classified under FDA\nregulations as "investigational."...Although the specific compounds considered\nin this instance are intended to protect servicepersons from chemical and\nbiological weapons, the ethical principles and analysis also would apply to\nother investigational compounds used for "treatment" purposes, such as those\nintended to prevent or treat endemic diseases. In this unprecedented\nsituation, two ethical (and legal) questions were raised: Should\nservicepersons be given these compounds? and, if the answer was yes, Should\nservicepersons be given the opportunity to grant or withhold their consent, as\nthey would if they were research subjects?...