Fagundes, Gabrielle Emilio

Biological agents and toxins have been used as weapons offensively as early as 1320 BCE. Modern ability to manipulate and control biological materials has raised concerns as to how wars will be fought in the future. The Geneva Protocol of 1925 and the subsequent Geneva Conventions have clearly determined biological warfare as unethical and illegal due to the devastating effects it has on both combatants and noncombatants. The International Humanitarian Laws, based on the fourth Geneva Convention, are used as guidelines for fighting just and legal wars. Although the use of biological weaponry has been banned for almost a century, government and non-government funded research in this area has not ceased. This highlights the importance of continuing research into the ethics of biological weaponry use according to modern science. After having compared modern biological advancements to these laws, the use of biological weaponry still cannot be justified in war.