Frist's at it again

There is apparently a rider to a spending bill that would provide liability limits for the makers of vaccines against anthrax and bird flu supported by Bill Frist. The amendment, if passed would require the secretary of Health Human Services to declare that the injuries were caused by willful misconduct. It would also cap noneconomic damages at $250,000. This would severely reduce the incentives of vaccine makers to test whether there vaccines are safe. If they test, find that they are unsafe and release them, they could probably be held responsible, but if they only do the minimum amount of testing, they could release harmful vaccines and be protected, because their misconduct was not 'willful'. It would also politicize the decision on what 'willful misconduct' means. The experiences of the past 5 years suggests that when there is political oversight on scientific matters, the decision that emerges always seems to conform to the Administration's preconcieved ideology.