Ethics of Genetic Engineering

http://www.scu.edu/ethics/practicing/focusareas/medical/conference/presentations/genetically-modified-
foods.html
A common approach to thinking about the ethics of the genetic engineering of food crops and the
appropriate regulatory environment is by evaluating safety and weighing potential risks and benefits.
The risk side of the ledger includes (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations):
1. First are potential risks to the environment and wildlife.
a. Genes may "escape" and find their way into other members of the species or other species.
Imagine the trouble if herbicide-resistant genes found their way into weeds.
b. GM crops could compete or breed with wild species threatening biodiversity.
c. Monogenetic crops may not react sufficiently to environmental stresses, posing the danger of
an reenactment of Ireland's potato famine.
d. What are the risks to birds, insects and other non-target species that come into contact with or
consume GM plants?
2. Second are potential risks to human health.
a. There is the potential that allergy-producing genes will be inserted into unrelated foodstuffs.
Since GM foods are not labeled, a person could suffer a potentially fatal allergic reaction,
e.g., an allergenic Brazil nut gene was transferred to a soybean variety, but the resultant
modified crop was never released to the public.
b. GM products may inadvertently enter the human food supply as evidenced by the settlement
earlier this month between Syngenta and the U.S. government over the accidental sale of
unapproved GM (Bt10) corn seed to farmers.
3. Third are potential socio-economic effects.
a. Small-scale farmers could be negatively impacted by the market dominance of a few
powerful seed companies. Some worry about the potential loss of traditional farming
practices such as collecting, storing, and replanting seed.
b. The proprietary nature of biotechnology may slow basic research, and patent protection may
hinder the entry of GM foods into developing countries as has been the case with
pharmaceuticals.
4. Fourth is the potential risk to public trust generated in part by industry refusal to label GM foods as
such.
The benefit side of the ledger stresses:
1. First, there are potential benefits to agricultural productivity through the development of crops more
resistant to pests, disease, and severe weather, decreasing the risk of devastating crop failure.
2. Second are potential benefits to the environment including:
a. Improved productively could result in more food from less land and a decreasing reliance on
the cultivation of marginal land.
b. Genetically engineered pest and disease resistance could reduce the need for pesticides and
other chemicals, thereby decreasing the environmental load and farmer exposure to toxins.
c. The potential longer shelf life of fruits and vegetables could decrease the gross wastage
associated with transportation and storage.
3. Third are potential benefits to human health and wellbeing.
a. Genetic engineering could be used to remove genes associated with allergies, e.g., the
blocking of the gene that produces the allergenic protein in peanuts.
b. The insertion of genes into crops such as rice and wheat can enhance their nutritional value,
e.g., Golden Rice.
c. Genetic modification could be used to produce healthier foods, e.g., by eliminating trans fats
or caffeine for example.
d. Genetic engineering could be used to develop pharmaceuticals and vaccines in plants,
decreasing the risk of adverse reactions and enabling faster vaccination of large populations.
ETHICAL ISSUES http://www.macalester.edu/~montgomery/GMOs2.htm
The use of genetically modified organisms is a practice still in its infancy. The long-term effects of this
technology are yet to be seen, and thus we must proceed with caution as we develop our practices and
guidelines.

Effects on the Environment
Herbicide Use and Resistance

Effects on the environment are a particular concern with regard to GMO crops and food production.
One area of development involves adding the ability to produce pesticides and resistance to specific
herbicides. These traits are helpful in food production, allowing farmers to use fewer chemicals, and to
grow crops in less than ideal conditions. However, herbicide use could be increased, which will have a
larger negative effect on the surrounding environment. Also unintended hybrid strains of weeds and
other plants can develop resistance to these herbicides through cross-pollination, thus negating the
potential benefit of the herbicide. One such herbicide that has already been added is RoundUp. Crops of
RoundUp-ready soybeans have already been implemented into agricultural practices, possibly conferring
RoundUp resistance to neighboring plants.

Effects on Untargeted Species

Bt corn, which produces its own pesticide, is also in use today. Concerns have been raised regarding
adverse effects on Monarch butterfly populations, which are not the original target of the pesticide
(Losey, 1999). Although the pesticide can protect crops against unwanted insects, they can also have
unintentional effects on neutral or even beneficial species.

Effects on Human Health
Allergies

GMO crops could potentially have negative effects on human health as well. When splicing genes
between species, there are examples in which consumers have developed unexpected allergic reactions.
Researchers used a gene from the Brazil nut to increase the production of Methionine in soya beans.
The insertion of this gene inadvertently caused allergic reactions to the soya bean in those with known
nut allergies, but no previous allergy to the soya bean, according to the product developer, Pioneer Hi-
Bred (Biotech Soybeans).

Long-Term Effects

Because GMO technology has been available for such a short amount of time, there is relatively little
research which has been conducted on the long-term effects on health. The greatest danger lies not in
the effects that we have studied, but in those which we cannot anticipate at this point.

New Proteins

Proteins which have never been ingested before by humans are now part of the foods that people
consume every day. Their potential effects on the human body are as of yet unknown.

Food Additives

GMOs also present us with possibilities of introducing additional nutrients into foods, as well as
antibiotics and vaccines. This availability of technology can provide nutrition and disease resistance to
those countries that dont have the means to provide these otherwise. The distribution of these foods is
more feasible than mass inoculations for current diseases. However, even these possibilities carry with
them potential negative effects such as the creation of antibiotic and vaccine-resistant strains of diseases.

It is imperative that we ensure that environmental issues and human health are kept at the forefront of
development in this field. It is important that we not lose sight of the repercussions that could accompany
the benefits if we do not carefully investigate and control development.