GMO Ethics

Objective discuss the ethical issue of genetically modified organisms and transgenic organisms

Ethics Ethics - Moral principles that govern a person's behavior or the conducting of an activity. Is it good or bad

Is using GMOs Ethical? There is no ethical theory that can resolve every situation perfectly. Lots of things in our lives have moral value - sometimes they come into conflict. Moral dilemmas are inevitable.

Headlines “Animal testing hits a 14-year high” “Animal experiments rise exposes gulf in attitudes” “Small rise in animal tests reveals ideological splits”

Hundreds of sheep

Animal groups used in research

Animals drawn to show which are used most in research

Animals used in research Total number of animals used = 3 million Fish 9% Birds 4% Other mammals 4% Rats 13% Mice 69% Reptile/amphibian 1% ‘Other mammals’ includes: Sheep 1.2% Dogs 0.2% Monkeys 0.1% Cats 0.02% These figures are for 2006

Does the number of animals matter? Does the type of animal matter? Questions for discussion Does the number of animals matter? Does the type of animal matter?

Are animal experiments painful? What might lead to pain, suffering, distress or harm in an animal used in experiments? Do you think animals experience pain and distress in the same way as humans?

Classifying experiments The law divides experiments into four classes: Mild: slight adverse effects, e.g. taking blood samples Moderate: includes injections that cause a reaction and many surgical procedures, provided that suffering is controlled by effective pain relief and care Substantial: includes major surgery and testing chemicals which cause a significant level of pain or death Unclassified: when animals are put under anaesthetic before the experiment and are killed before they recover consciousness

An experiment that uses one or two animals but is very painful? Which is worse? An experiment that uses many animals but does not cause much pain or distress? or An experiment that uses one or two animals but is very painful?

Number of projects at each level of severity Mild 38% Unclassified 2% Substantial 2% Moderate 58% These figures are for 2006

How many experiments in the UK are mild, moderate and substantial? We don’t know. We only know the numbers of mild, moderate and substantial projects, which is an average of many experiments e.g. Many mild experiments + a few substantial experiments = a moderate project Is this enough information?

Designer Babies

What is a Designer Baby? A baby whose genetic makeup has been artificially selected by genetic engineering to ensure the presence or absence of particular genes or characteristics Knowledge Issue: Should couples be given the right to alter their children’s genes to their own preference and liking? In 2004, this colloquial term made the transition from science fiction movies to the Oxford English Dictionary, where it’s defined as…

Advantages Allows couples who can’t conceive normally to have children Allows couples to balance gender in their families Genetic screening reduces the baby’s chances of being born with a serious genetic disease Increases the likelihood of a healthy baby Reduces chances of miscarriage Reduces chances of termination due to disorder Can be used to save lives

Disadvantages Moral and ethical concerns: Social concerns: Too much like playing God Killing embryos that could have grown into humans Social concerns: High cost leads to gap in society Could lead to eugenics: individuals are “bred” or designed to suit social preferences Genetically enhanced people may start to feel superior to those who haven’t been enhanced Such groups of people may become prejudiced against one another due to a feeling of lost common humanity with non-enhanced people …gap in society and only wealthy people will be able to afford it. This could cause discrimination against those with disabilities to greatly rise …social preferences, such as above average height or increased intelligence

Disadvantages Safety concerns: Can lead to ovarian hyper-stimulation syndrome (OHSS) Unskilled lab technology could damage embryo during biopsy The removal of cells from eight-cell embryos has implications for the well-being of people created by PGD

Discussion Questions: Do you support the idea of designer babies? Why or why not? Would you use genetic engineering on your children simply to make them more intelligent or better looking? 

Anti-Aging

Anti-ageing, what is it? In recent year there has been a significant increase in anti-ageing phenomena – activities and practices aimed at slowing, stopping or reversing the ageing process. The anti-ageing label covers a wide variety of activities and groups which arise out of the deep antipathy to old age embedded in Western culture. They construct old age as a naturalised self-evidently negative biological phenomenon which must be overcome. These groups have differing claims to knowledge, technical expertise and ability to control natural phenomena. They include people, organisations and activities designed to make people look younger, avoid the diseases of old age, challenge the biological processes of ageing and to greatly extend the human life span, possibly even for ever.

What are the issues raised by anti-ageing activities? There are large scale existential issues, ones that question the fundamental nature of the human condition. What is old age? What is the purpose of life, and its different stages? Is life always preferable to death – is immortality desirable? What effect will ant-aging have on Earth’s resources?

What are the issues raised by anti-ageing activities? There are issues related to the particular cultural, social and political status of older people. Should old age be considered a valued part of the life course or something to be abolished as soon as practicable?

What are the issues raised by anti-ageing activities? There are smaller scale more immediate issues, for example about life style choices. What and how much should we eat? What exercise should we take? What should the responsible consumer do in terms of living a satisfactory old age?

Can it be done? Should it be done? There are biologists, bio-engineers, medics, pharmacists etc who debate whether life span extension can be done. There are philosophers and ethicists who debate whether is should be done There are social scientists who observe the anti-ageing movement and seek to understand what is being done and why – and implicitly with what consequences Biologists and ethicists are the object of study