Trump Slaps Ban on Risky Virus Research Via Executive Order
Trump imposes executive order halting controversial studies on pathogens - Trump imposes decree to limit contentious investigations on pathogens
In a bold move aimed at preventing future disasters, President Donald Trump has put the kibosh on federal funding for dangerous virus research, particularly experiments that strengthen pathogens to spread more easily among humans. The new directive, an executive order, comes amidst concerns over the origins of recent pandemics and the need to safeguard American public health and national security.
The order echoes sentiments shared by Health Minister Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who voiced worries about potential leaks from virus research facilities, stating, "Every lab is susceptible to leaks. This executive order will help prevent future unintended leaks that could endanger humanity."
The move targets gain-of-function research, where scientists tinker with pathogens to make them deadlier or harder to manage with medicines or vaccines. Supporters argue that this type of research offers insights into combating deadly diseases as they evolve in nature. However, detractors fear the risks outweigh the potential benefits, as seen during the Covid pandemic.
The debate about the origin of COVID-19 has been heated, with most experts attributing it to a zoonotic outbreak in China. Still, a 2023 U.S. intelligence report suggested the possibility of genetic manipulation and a lab leak in Wuhan, China, sparking controversy. This controversy also extended to the USA's National Institutes of Health (NIH), with some politicians accusing them of funding risky gain-of-function research in Wuhan.
The controversy around this controversial research strategy has simmered for years. In 2011, a flap erupted when two research teams managed to make bird flu viruses transmissible between mammals, prompting a funding pause on flu and coronavirus research in the U.S. in 2014. Since 2017, such research has resumed, but only after close scrutiny by expert panels.
- Donald Trump
- Gain-of-Function Research
- Executive Order
- USA
- Restriction
- Coronavirus
- Virus
- Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
- Wuhan
- Lab Leak Hypothesis
- NIH
While the new order marks a significant shift in U.S. policy, concerns remain about its impact on scientific innovation. The order focuses on halting funding for dangerous gain-of-function research in foreign countries with questionable oversight, empowering American agencies to terminate funding for risky biological research, and thwarting future pandemics caused by lab accidents or leaks.
- Donald Trump, as the US President, has issued an executive order to halt federal funding for gain-of-function research, a contentious strategy that strengthens viruses like coronaviruses to spread more easily among humans, due to concerns about potential leaks from virus research facilities and the origins of recent pandemics.
- The lab leak hypothesis, which suggests the possibility of genetic manipulation and a lab leak in Wuhan, China as the origin of COVID-19, has sparked controversy, with the US intelligence report in 2023 pointing towards this possibility, and some politicians accusing the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) of funding risky gain-of-function research in Wuhan.
- Robert F. Kennedy Jr. voiced his approval of the new executive order, stating that every lab is susceptible to leaks, and the order will help prevent future unintended leaks that could endanger humanity, particularly in foreign countries with questionable oversight, thereby safeguarding American public health and national security in the future.
