The Ethical Use of GMOs

The Ethical Use of GMOs The Ethical Use of GMOs

Dr. Sakarindr BhumiratanaPresident

National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA)

25 March 2005

http://bioteach.ubc.ca/TeachingResources/Bioethics.html



http://www.pbs.org/wnet/religionandethics/week721/pics/p_cover_farmer.jpg


http://www.pbs.org/wnet/religionandethics/week721/pics/p_cover_farmer.jpg

GM Products: Benefits and Controversies

Benefits Controversies

Crops

Enhanced taste and quality

Reduced maturation time

Increased nutrients, yields, and stress tolerance

Improved resistance to disease, pests, and herbicides

New products and growing techniques

Safety

Potential human health impact: allergens, transfer of

antibiotic resistance markers, unknown effects.

Potential environmental impact: unintended transfer

of transgenes through cross-pollination, unknown

effects on other organisms (e.g., soil microbes),

and loss of flora and fauna biodiversity

Animals

Increased resistance, productivity, hardiness, and

feed efficiency

Better yields of meat, eggs, and milk

Access and Intellectual Property

Domination of world food production by a few companies

Biopiracy—foreign exploitation of natural resources

Environment

"Friendly" bioherbicides and bioinsecticides

Conservation of soil, water, and energy

Better natural waste management

Ethics

Violation of natural organisms' intrinsic values

Tampering with nature by mixing genes among species

Labeling

Not mandatory in some countries

Society

Increased food security for growing populations

Society

New advances may be skewed to interests of rich countries

1. Respect for person

2. Beneficence

3. Justice

4. Confidentiality

What is a principle-based approach to bioethics? What is a principle-based approach to bioethics?

If in conflict, they should be balanced against one another (but how?)

- Principles Based Ethics The “Big Four” “Big Four” Principles:

Two kinds of ethical arguments GMOsTwo kinds of ethical arguments GMOs

1. Non-scientific base

GMOs are wrong, no matter how great the benefits may be.

2. Scientific base

GMOs are wrong because risks outweigh benefits.

Talking past each other

GMOs: Ethical Considerations

1. Transgenic technology has caused some people to

raise questions about the nature and

consequences of GMOs.• Do GM foods differ in any relevant ways from non-

GM foods?

• Are any differences significant as to how they will

they affect human health or the environment?

• How strictly are GMOs being tested?

• Who oversees the regulation and registration

process?

Ref: Jeffrey Burkhardt, IFAS, UF

2. The issue is whether GMOs/GM foods

morally/ethically acceptable.

• If they are ethically acceptable, then there is

nothing wrong about producing/using/consuming

them.

• If they are not acceptable, people should stop

producing them.



3. Why the deeper ethical-philosophical reasons

underlying the GMO debates are so important.

• If we are to resolve ethical (as opposed to

scientific) controversies associated with GMOs/GM

foods, a key step is to acknowledge differences in

basic values, and then debate the matter in terms

of these deeper commitments and concerns.



Components of Acceptability

Judgements about ethical acceptability depend

on answering several preliminary questions:

1. What GMOs are we talking about?” What Product?

“Different products have different ethical

dimensions” e.g. Bovine somatotropin

Roudup-Ready CropBT cornGolden Rice


Components of Acceptability (cont’d)

2. Bear on ethical acceptability is the context in which

the analysis or argument is set.

• need to be paid to all of relevant context in

which a judgment about the ethical acceptability

of GMOs can (or should) be made.


What Ethical Paradigm?

1. Consequentialist Ethics

2. Ethics of Autonomy /

Consent

3. Ethic of Virtue / Tradition


Ethics and Agricultural Biotechnology

1. Consequentialist Perception on Agricultural

Biotech

• subscribe to the view that actions, policies,

practices and technologies ought to promote

people’s needs and preferences.

• the question is whether agriculture does this, and

the answer is usually that it does.



2. Autonomy/Consent and Food/Agricultural

Biotech • begins with the axiom that self-determination

implies that people have inviolable rights, which

establishes the ethical demand that people be

given a choice concerning how they want to act

and be treated.

• people have the ethical right to choose what they

consume/purchase and to avoid or reject it if they

so desire. Ref: Jeffrey Burkhardt, IFAS, UF


3. Ethics of Virtue/Tradition and

Food/Agricultural Biotech

• virtue/tradition ethics defines ethical acceptability

in terms of consistency with some deeply-held

values and virtues, whether they relate to farming

as a way of life, to life in accord with Nature, or to

following God’s plan and will.

• Not all virtue/tradition ethical perspectives will

necessarily reject GMOs or biotechnology overall. Ref: Jeffrey Burkhardt, IFAS, UF

Consequentialists subscribe to the view that acti ons, policies, practices and technologies ought t

o promote people’s needs and preferences .

CC onsequentialist goals: onsequentialist goals: (QQP)(QQP)(1) QuantityQuantity: Produce enough food to feed a growing

- and non r ur al popul at i on. 2( ) Quality:Quality: Produce food that is safe and nutritionall

y adequate. (3 ) Price:Price: Ensure that food is generally affordable for con

sumers while also ensuring that farmers receive profits fr om their work sufficient to keep them in business.

The Consequentialist Perspective on Agricultural BiotechThe Consequentialist Perspective on Agricultural Biotech



If GMOs/GM foods contribute to the satisfaction of people’s wants/preferences, they are ethically justifiable— perhaps e

ven ethically required (Burkhardt, 2 0 0 1 ).

The key to achieving QQP is efficiency in agricultural production. -This means getting the most output from the least inputs, or in standard farming terms, productivity and yields.

- - 1The so called “first generation” of GM technology was designed to fffffff fffffff fffffff fffffff ff fffffffffff.

- fff fffffffffff fffff ffff fffffff fff ffffffffffff fffffffff ffff ,, fff ffffffffff ffff , QQP, shouldwanttechnologiescont i nual l y i mpr oved so as t o achi eve

even greater productivity and yeild — all the time maintaining safe, affo fffff.

• I n consquentialist terms.

“ greatest good for the greatest number”

• C oncerns that some things that people want other t han QQP.

GMOs may endanger these “other goods.” F or example, environ mental protections, etc.

I ssues for - long term consequences of GMOs:

- W ill our children’s health be placed at risk by the use of GMtechnology?

- What about future people’s wants and preferences? Are they being placed at risk?



Autonomy/Consent and Food/Agricultural BiotechAutonomy/Consent and Food/Agricultural Biotech

• The autonomy/consent paradigm begins with the axio - m that self determination implies that people have in

violable rights.

( Foremost among these rights is the right not to be harmed or placed at risk against one’ s will.)• Autonomy/consent ethicists and Consequentialists

concern about:Is our food safe?

• Transparency of the food system. - farm production techniques- transportation and processing systems- packaging and marketing activities




• People have a right to purchase items that will not unknowingly place them at risk and thus may demand the choice to avoid these products. The strongest supporters of some form of labeling of GM foods.

• Many people believe that the autonomy/consent issues that are raised are not so much a matter of biotechnology as a matter of power and control: consumers and farmers want greater control over the choices available to them in their respective arenas.

• F armers’ choices.


People have the ethical right to:

- choose what they are consuming

- avoid or reject it if they so desire


Ethics of Virtue/Tradition and Food/Agricultural BiotechEthics of Virtue/Tradition and Food/Agricultural Biotech


- views agriculture as more than a business or

economic sector in society: agriculture is a “way of “way of

life”life”

- sees the traditional family farm as a place where

real human valuesreal human values and virtues can be practiced.

- GMOs are designed, intended, for business-like

efficient production; are not designed to enhance the

quality of life for farm families or their communities;

favor larger farms, make traditional agriculture less

competitive; may make foodstuffs cheaper, forcing

traditional farmers out of business.

Agrarianism:

Ethics of Virtue/Tradition and Food/Agricultural BiotechEthics of Virtue/Tradition and Food/Agricultural Biotech


- “playing God” - ecosystem -- upsetting of the operation of ecosystems. Not to cause irreparable damage. - for Nature-ists, once we recognize the delicate balancing processes that constitute ecosystems or Nature, we must see that human beings have no right to manipulate species or processes in this way.

Nature-ism:

Ethics and Agricultural Ethics and Agricultural Biotechnology:Biotechnology:

Consequentiality perception on

agricultural Biotech

Autonomy / consent and food

agricultural biotech

Virtue / tradition and food agricultural

biotech

ConclusionConclusion

Need to:

1. Risk assessment

maintain a safe, nutritious, and

plentiful food supply

preserve ecosystems

balance production and wise

stewardship of the earth

Need to:

demand scientific and

political vigilance

support: regulatory

oversight on case-by-case

basis

Do not support: a ban on

all GMOs or GM crops

2. Regulation (Risk Management)

Need to:

3. Communication

increase public understanding of the

science behind GMOs debate

develop tools for public communication and

promoting the public understanding of this

and related issues

not just one-way communication but should

encourage dialogue between all participants

Need to:

3. Communication (cont’d)

two-way flow of

understanding between

scientists and the public is

also required

make sure all stakeholder

voice are heard

Thank youThank you

Documents

The Ethical Use of GMOs