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Ethics Ethics--from ancient Greek ethos, meaning “character” or “custom” Bioethics • Ethics- knowing right from wrong, and then doing the right thing • Bio- living organisms • Bioethics- knowing right from wrong with living organisms, and then doing the right thing Premise: Genetic engineering is unnatural. Conclusion: Therefore, genetic engineering is intrinsically wrong. Genetic engineering requires that we take a reductionist view of life that sees only genes, not individuals, as important. –“From the reductionist perspective, life is merely the aggregate representation of the chemicals that give rise to it and therefore they see no ethical problem whatsoever in transferring…even a hundred genes from one species into the heredity blueprint of another species.” •Jeremy Rifkin Controversy over GMO Foods • Debate puts consumer and ecology groups against Multinational Corporations • Many farmers, scientists, government agencies caught in the middle Source:Clark Ford Arguments for Genetically Engineered Food • Potential to: – – – – – – – Increase productivity Increase purity Increase safety Improve nutrition Improve food quality Improve sustainability Benefit ecosystem • Process not inherently harmful • Similar to traditional Plant and Animal breeding • Unless misused, outcome expected to be beneficial – Is a powerful technology that could help humanity • Bad ideas weeded out by the market, regulation, lawsuit --Paul Thompson Arguments against Genetically Engineered Foods • Potential safety risk for humans – Unintended Consequences • Genetic Engineering is playing God – Not Natural to move genes between species • Potential safety risk for environment – Could spread • Genetically Engineered label not required in some countries • Benefits multinational corporations – not consumers or developing nations Will it Feed the World? • Disease resistance will benefit developing nations • Technology requiring increased inputs benefits wealthy, multinationals, plantations • Small, subsistence farmers can’t compete, lose land • Inequity, poverty increase • Thus more food and more hunger • Green Revolution unsustainable “The public accepts biotechnology in medicine because it sees a clear benefit: saving lives. But about all crop biotechnology can do for now is make plants that are easier and cheaper for farmers to grow. While that’s great for farmers it’s hardly an appeal to middle class consumers, particularly when they are being cautioned by opponents that the foods’ safety hasn’t been approved.” - Robert Shapiro, president of Monsanto Ethics of Gene Therapy: [ethics are the system of principles that help you decide what is right or wrong] Who gets gene therapy? What types of gene therapy should be allowed? Is this the next step to human cloning? What are the risks allowed? What are the evolutionary consequences of gene therapy? Should we interfere with nature? Who are we to play God? Source: William Bates 2001 Your Assignment (and test question) • Include yourself in the debate about the ethics of biotechnology. • You have now heard all the facts, so pick a side. • Create a 1 page argument (for or against) biotechnology and decide whether or not it is ethical. • You must use examples to support your arguments