Contravening Aid

Have you ever been into a situation that you are trying to help someone in order for that

person to become happy, ease the discomfort and encourage him/her, but it turns that you had

just worsen the situation, and now, you got confused, whether is it morally good to help, if it

triggered the problem more?

Let’s take a look on Fouchier and Kawaoka’s story.

History of H5N1

This is the virus H5N1, an avian influenza strain. According to studies, this virus can

attack and more transmittable birds and mammals which causes risk to them. According to an

article of Martin Enserink (2011) entitled Controversial Studies Give a Deadly Flu Virus Wings

by Science magazine, virologist Ron Fouchier of Erasmus Medical Center in the Netherlands and

his group admitted that they had created the virus but he immediately added this invention has a

lot of benefits. Coincidently, the related study of Yoshihiro Kawaoka of the University of

Wisconsin, Madison, and the University of Tokyo showed a similar result with Fouchier.

Fouchier’s Argument

On the same article, Fouchier’s discuss their intention why they mutated a virus- that is to

finds solution to a certain infectious disease, and he added that this is for the benefit of the world,

especially to end transmutation of as virus but accidentally, this worsen the situation because

another mutant of the virus had created.

Examining Moral Arguments

There is a big difference when it comes with the intention, action and result. On

Founchier and Kawaoka’s case, first, let us take a look with the intention of the two and we can

say that they are just trying to examining a virus in order for them to find a solution and answer

to the problem. On their action, there is a carelessness upon conducting the study because they

accidentally mutate the virus and as a result, they created a more dangerous one. Of course, virus

is bad in nature because it provides risk, and one will do to stop this entity for further evolving.

On my side, I think, what Founchier and Kawaoka did is morally good, but ethically bad.

I believe that the act of volunteerism for our society’s benefits is considered to be a moral

goodness, because it is not debatable that the intention to help others is an act of goodness, but,

the action made and the result of this action which more ruins the society is ethically bad because

the intention is not a hundred percent fulfilled. Nevertheless, the said mistake will be helpful as

basis for further studies.

Now, I ask you- is it morally good to create a cure for a certain disease but “accidentally”

produced a more dangerous disease? Is contravening aid moral?

 Enserink, M. Controversial Studies Give a Deadly Flu Virus Wings. Science, 2011.

 Herfst, S. Airborne transmission of influenza A/H5N1 virus between ferrets. Pubmed,

2012
 Kaiser, J. Controversial experiments that could make bird flu riskier poised to resume.
Science, 2019
 Roos R. (June 21, 2012). Fouchier study reveals changes enabling airborne spread of
H5N1. Cidrap: University of Minnesota.
Retrived from https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news