Executive summary: Legal Advocates for Safe Science and Technology (LASST) is filing amicus briefs to help courts better understand the risks of pathogen research, arguing that dangerous pathogen research should be subject to strict liability standards to discourage unreasonably risky experiments.
Key points:
Current regulation of pathogen research with pandemic potential (PPP/PEPP) is limited, especially for privately-funded work, making common law mechanisms like tort law crucial for safety oversight.
A recent court dismissal in McKinniss v. EcoHealth Alliance could set concerning precedent by suggesting scientific research can never be subject to strict liability standards.
LASST argues that lab accidents are more common than assumed, and some pathogen research carries catastrophic risks that outweigh potential benefits.
The organization advocates for nuanced court decisions that can distinguish between responsible research and unreasonably dangerous experiments.
While working within COVID-19 origins litigation, LASST maintains political independence and pro-vaccine stance while focusing solely on research safety concerns.
This comment was auto-generated by the EA Forum Team. Feel free to point out issues with this summary by replying to the comment, andcontact us if you have feedback.
Executive summary: Legal Advocates for Safe Science and Technology (LASST) is filing amicus briefs to help courts better understand the risks of pathogen research, arguing that dangerous pathogen research should be subject to strict liability standards to discourage unreasonably risky experiments.
Key points:
Current regulation of pathogen research with pandemic potential (PPP/PEPP) is limited, especially for privately-funded work, making common law mechanisms like tort law crucial for safety oversight.
A recent court dismissal in McKinniss v. EcoHealth Alliance could set concerning precedent by suggesting scientific research can never be subject to strict liability standards.
LASST argues that lab accidents are more common than assumed, and some pathogen research carries catastrophic risks that outweigh potential benefits.
The organization advocates for nuanced court decisions that can distinguish between responsible research and unreasonably dangerous experiments.
While working within COVID-19 origins litigation, LASST maintains political independence and pro-vaccine stance while focusing solely on research safety concerns.
This comment was auto-generated by the EA Forum Team. Feel free to point out issues with this summary by replying to the comment, and contact us if you have feedback.