Transcript File - Zachary Carscaddon

BIOTECHNOLOGY ETHICS
Biotechnology II
COMPETENCY: 16.00
Discuss ethical and practical
issues surrounding
biotechnology.
OBJECTIVE: 16.01
 Analyze regulatory organizations
and issues concerning genetically
modified organisms. (ie release in
agricultural production)
Government Oversight
USDA
EU
FDA
Regulatory
Agencies
APHIS
EPA
Regulatory Agencies
1. United States Department of
Agriculture (USDA)
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Responsible for oversight on nearly
all genetically modified organisms
Sets most policy regarding
genetically modified organisms.
Regulatory Agencies
2. Food & Drug Administration (FDA)
 US regulatory agency responsible for
ensuring the safety of genetically modified
foods.
 Genetically modified foods DO NOT need to
be labeled in the US- as long as they are
not SIGNIFICANTLY different than
traditional foods.
 Agrimedicines produced in GMO’s (through
the process of pharming) fall under the
same regulations as traditional medicines.
Regulatory Agencies
3. Animal & Plant Health Inspection
Service (APHIS)
 Responsible for ensuring the safety
of introducing a new genetically
modified organism to the
environment and existing
populations.
 Specifically monitor all field trials for
genetically modified organisms.
Regulatory Agencies
4. Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA)
 Plays varying roles in monitoring the
use of genetically modified
organisms.
 Monitors the use of GMO’s in pest
management and environmental
science.
Regulatory Agencies
5. European Union
 forms legislation governing the
regulation of genetically modified
foods and biotechnology techniques
in western Europe
Regulatory Issues
1. Unexpected results from the
release of genetically modified
organisms have been extremely
rare.
 A recent study indicated that
monarch butterflies were being
killed by pollen from Bt corn. – The
study upon reexamination was
proven FALSE.
Regulatory Issues
2. In 2004, 56 genetically
engineered products were
approved for human consumption
in the United States.
 The number has been increasing
each year, though Bt corn and Bt
soybeans are by far the most
common.
Regulatory Issues
3. The successful development of a
genetically modified organism
usually takes between 6-12 years
and costs between $50-$300
million dollars.
Regulatory Issues
4. Bans on GMO foods in many
foreign countries (particularly in
Europe and Africa).
 African nations have even declined
or destroyed food aid during crises
rather than allow consumption of
GMO’s.
 Though economics could be a sub
context, food safety is the primary
concern.
Specific GMO Regulations
1. In the US, GMO foods must only
be labeled if they are NOT
SUBSTANTIALLY EQUIVILANT to
normal products.
2. Any GMO can be certified organic
in North Carolina and many other
states.
OBJECTIVE: 16.02
 Examine ethical issues concerning
the use of genetic manipulation to
improve the agricultural
productivity of living organisms.
Defining Ethics
1. Ethics are a theory or system of
moral values and principles that
govern interactions in society.
 Vary between cultures and religious
groups - often conflicting in the US.
 Many times ethical decisions are not
absolutely right or wrong, but
somewhere in the middle.
Defining Ethics
2. Ethic is the discipline dealing
with what is good and bad and
with moral duty and obligation.
Ethical Examples
1. The use of embryonic stem cells in
research.
 Positives- because of the ability of stem
cells to differentiate, research could result
in tremendous medical breakthroughs.
 Producing spare organs, skin for grafts,
and other biological products for medical
treatments.
 Negatives- requires the destruction of
developing human embryos for the
collection of genetic information.
Ethical Examples
2. The process of cloning.
 Occurs naturally in many varieties of
plants through processes like
layering, rhizomes and division.
 Usually (the exception is identical
twins) requires human intervention
in animals.
 Often damages embryos, resulting in
the death of developing baby- highly
objectionable in animals and humans.
Ethical Examples
3. MOST BIOTECHNOLOGY TECHNIQUES
& PRODUCTS DO NOT POSE AN
ETHICAL DILLEMNA FOR A MAJORITY
OF PEOPLE IN DEVELOPED NATIONS.
 Ethical objections remain the most common
objection for the use of biotechnology in
agriculture especially for uninformed.
 Despite concerns over food safety,
increasing use of biotechnology has
occurred as a result of demands for
increased production.
3. MOST BIOTECHNOLOGY TECHNIQUES &
PRODUCTS… continued
 Objections are centered more around the
human element as to who makes decisions that
life is expendable in one case and not in
another.
 Misuse is at the center of ethical objections.
 Objections to products focus on the uncertainty
as to what long-term effects the use of
genetically modified materials might have in
the absence of long-term records.
 Will genetically modified foods have a chronic
effect on the animals that consume them?
 Will Bt crops create “super pests” that adapt over
a period of time?
 Will Bt products lose their effectiveness over
time?