Ethical Issues in

Biotechnology

Hasin Md. Muhtasim Taqi

Lecturer, Dept. of MPE
Ethics
The act of defining what is morally right or wrong
Also assess the reasoning behind our decisions, i.e
the concepts and principles that are employed to
justify our moral choices and actions

This is specifically important in the

applications of Biotechnology as the latter
deals with many serious issues concerning
the human nature, health, food and the
environment

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BioTechnology
• The development and utilization of biological processes for obtaining
maximum benefits to man and other forms of life
• Uses scientific methods with living organisms to produce new products or
new forms of organisms or solve a problem for human benefit
• Any technique that uses living organisms or substances from those
organisms to make or modify a product, to improve plants or animals, or to
develop microorganisms for specific uses

GMO- genetically modified organisms

GEO- genetically enhanced organisms

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History of BioTechnology
• Traditional Biotechnology (Old)
• New Biotechnology (Modern)

Traditional Biotechnology: The traditional biotechnology refers to the

conventional technology which have been used for many centuries. Beer, Wine,
Cheese and many foods have been produced using traditional biotechnology

Historical Examples
Fermentation
Selective breeding
Use of antibiotics
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History of BioTechnology
Modern Biotechnology: Capability of science to change the genetic
material for genetic new products for specific requirement through
recombinant DNA technology

Modern Examples
Gene cloning
Genetic engineering
Recombinant DNA technology
Human Genome Project

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 Food
Legal

Ethical Aspects
of Medicine
Biotechnology

Environment
Developing
countries &
the poor
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Biopatent
It is an official right from a government granting an inventor the sole monopoly
to make and sell a particular things or article for a definite period.

Bio-piracy
It is the term used to refer to the use of bio-resources by different organizations
without proper authorization from the countries and people connect without
compensatory payment.

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Genetic Modification

Advantages
• Larger yield of crops
“
• Enhanced genetic diversity
• In-build resistance to pests & diseases
• Less need for insecticides
• More tolerant to adverse climate conditions

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Genetic Modification

•
Disadvantages
“
Can adversely affect moral issues
• Risk involved in the process
• Process is irreversible
• Artificial way of food production
• Disease-resistant foods can give rise to even
more harmful organisms.
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Ethical Issues of Biotechnology
✓ Socio-economic issues
✓ Cultural issues
✓ Environmental issues
✓ Legal issues
✓ Religious issues

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Ethical and legal introduction
No consensus over the risks of a product or activity

Trade dispute (One country restricts, while the other sees as

legitimate)

Right or wrong (Decided by international law)

Restrictions: 1. Implicit exception

2. Explicit exception
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Ethical and legal introduction
1. Exception based on democracy
Unclear scientific position:
● Trading systems must respect views of population of
states
● Wrong to impose unsafe or undesirable product

2. Exception based on science

Unproven dangers = cannot be excluded
● Lack of scientific proof
● Precautionary approach need to be present
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The morality of taking risk
• There should be a balance between possible gains v/s possible
harms
e.g: Profits to be made or lives saved through greater production
v/s cost or harm of things that went wrong
• Decisions are dependent on various benefits and harms
• Reflect different world views on different levels

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The Problem of Food Security and the Poor
~ 600 M poor people in the world
~ 40,000 die each day due to malnutrition
50% of them are children

✓ Most limiting resources for food
production: land and water
Solution: Increase yields on the
available land (increase production
capacity) using biotechnology
✓ The Green Revolution was not
enough to eradicate poverty
Solution: Need to increase food
production in developed countries for
export at a price that the poor can afford,
and thus the purchasing power

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Developing countries and the Poor
• The least developed countries however, where poverty is most
rampant and increase in food production is most needed,
cannot afford the necessary research and extension facilities to
bring to the farmers
• Of the crops of the poor that include the cassava, rice, millets,
sweet potatoes, yams and legumes, only rice has benefited
from biotechnology
• In developing countries: concerns and fears regarding the
safety of foods produced by biotechnology further dampen
development

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Genetically Modified Foods
• About 75% of processed food produced in the US
contain some GM ingredients
• These foods include crackers, breakfast cereals and
cooking oils
• The most common GM foods are soy, cotton, canola,
corn, sugar beets and squash
➢ Improvement of Crops
• Advances in biotechnology now allows the production of
plants with novel traits such as longer shelf-life,
increased nutrient content and drought resistance
• The advent of GM crops provides new opportunities for
increasing agricultural production and feeding the world
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 Potential benefits of GM foods
• Genetic engineering can be used to remove genes associated with allergies e.g.
the gene that produces allergenic protein in peanuts can be blocked
• The insertion of genes into crops such as rice and wheat enhances their
nutritional value e.g. Golden rice
• Genetic modifications can be used to produce healthier foods e.g. by eliminating
fats or caffeine
• Can be used to induce herbicide resistance leading to decrease use of herbicides
• Induction of insect and pest resistance → Decrease use of insecticides and
pesticides
• Induction of abiotic stress resistance
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Ethical Aspects of GM foods

There is a need to raise

agricultural productivity to
deal with problems of
poverty and food Genetic engineering
insecurity allows the production
of plants with desired
traits speedily and at
low costs

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Ethical Aspects of GM foods

Unnaturalness

Environmental risks

Health risk

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 Biotechnology and the
Environment
● Biotechnological products/applications to the environment are based on human
activities.

● This can be regarded in 2ways:

○ Domination

○ Harmonization
● Biotechnology has been used for various purposes in the
environment such as:

Prevention of infectious-vector transmitted diseases, Removal/degradation of waste products,

Reduced impact of pesticides, insecticides, etc.

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 Biotechnology and the
Environment
● Agriculture and Environment - Closely related

● Green Revolution:

○ Increase crop production,

○ Strengthen food security,

○ Decrease poverty and eradicate resulting infectious diseases.

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 Biotechnology and the Environment
● Concerns expressed w.r.t GM plants are:
○ Possibility of horizontal gene transfer of transgenic DNA and
the potential to create new viruses and bacteria that cause
diseases .

○ Effect of synthesized substances on non-target organisms.

○ Unintentional generation of superweeds and superbugs by
evolution.

○ Concerns related to food safety.

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Biotechnology and the
Environment
Ethics with respect to the environment and biotechnology are:
● Eccentric: Study of an ecosystem with prevailing concerns.
● Biocentric: Ethics concerned with an individual organism.
● Anthropocentric: Ethic views engaged on Humans

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 Biotechnology and the Environment
● Preservation of fauna and flora is highly debatable when significant and explicit
input of views from spiritual/ religious aspects and culturesare involved.
● Some approaches based on “what can the environment offer” and so, i t is
protected for food supplies and future generations.

○ E.g: Maori tribes refuse any modification of native forest.

● Ecocentric approaches, view the environment not by what i t can give but with
an intrinsic value.
○ E.g: Some Christian traditions see the environment as a creation of God, with
humans as custodians to it.

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 Introduction of GMOs in
Medicines and Researches
•Since the 1980s, GMOs have emerged as one of the
mainstays of biomedical research.

•The use of GMOs in medicine and research has

produced a debate that is more philosophical in nature.

• Ethical issues in introducing GMOs as medicines and research include:

▪ Violation of natural organisms' intrinsic values

▪ Tampering wi t h nature by mixing genes among species

▪ Objections to consuming animal genes in plants Animal rights

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 Pharmaceutical Products
•Production of complex pharmaceuticals by enabling the generation of safer and cheaper
vaccines andtherapeutics.
E.g: Insulin was initially derived from pigs and cows which arose concern about: Animal
Welfare, Religious Problem.

•Today insulin is produced through GM microbes, which is less likely to cause allergic
reactions.
•Yet use of genetic engineering in the production of medicines is still an issue though many
people are benefited wi t h none harmed.

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 Gene Therapy
• Gene therapy is becoming a treatment option for diseases ranging from
rare metabolic disorders to cancer. Introduction of these GM cells into
the patient could cure the disease without the need fora matched donor.

Ethical Issues:
• Cells used for the study are often taken from human embryos.
• The techniques will not be accomplish for the intended purpose.
• Replacement tissue will never be grow from a person’s own stem cell.

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 Ethics concerning animalrights
Animal rights concerns:

• Concern in ethics when discussing animals is their capacity to suffer or feel pain. This
concern is weaker for the GM mosquitoes.

• Concern that we are manipulating life forhuman purposes without

considering the interests of the animal.

• Biodiversity concerns about endangered animals that are used for genetic engineering.

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