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Biotech

This document discusses several ethical issues related to biotechnology. It addresses questions around allowing genetically modified organisms for food, mandatory DNA sampling, and genetic engineering of animals. It also examines the complex considerations around costs, benefits, values, and stakeholders involved in decisions about biotechnology applications like vaccines, agricultural GMOs, environmental biotech, forensic science techniques, and biotech research protocols.

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samuel
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20 views8 pages

Biotech

This document discusses several ethical issues related to biotechnology. It addresses questions around allowing genetically modified organisms for food, mandatory DNA sampling, and genetic engineering of animals. It also examines the complex considerations around costs, benefits, values, and stakeholders involved in decisions about biotechnology applications like vaccines, agricultural GMOs, environmental biotech, forensic science techniques, and biotech research protocols.

Uploaded by

samuel
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Ethics in Biotechnology

• Bioethics considers the moral and social aspects of biotechnology


and medicine
• Society is confronted with numerous issues in bioethics
• Should we allow:
• Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) to be used for human food?
• Mandatory DNA sampling of everyone who is arrested?
• Genetic engineering of animals to produce human organs?
• The goal of bioethics is to understand the costs and benefits of
decisions as well as the values and conflicts
• What are the costs (bad impacts) of a decision?
• What are the benefits (good impacts)?
• What values are being given priority (“winning”) over other values?
Why ethics in biotechnology is complex
• Many players involved:
• Big multinational corporations(e.g. Big pharmaceutical
companies)
• Academic and political groups
• Legal and religious organizations
• Government agencies
• NGO’s and International developmental organizations
COVID 19 and Ethics
• COVID 19 vaccine
• Which vaccine to choose?
• Can poor countries make choices?
• Have all these vaccines passed through proper
scientific protocol for vaccine development?
• Should we allow people to not be vaccinated even
though it puts others at risk?
• Vaccine passport, why is it controversial?
Agriculture/Environment and biotech Ethics

• Agricultural biotechnology depends on what governments and


consumers view as ethical
• What are the main costs and benefits of using GMO crops?

• Environmental applications of biotechnology face ethical questions


• Should we use cloning to save an endangered species?
• If rDNA bacteria can clean up an oil spill but will alter the natural ecosystem, should we
use them?
• If a genetically modified soybean produces better biofuel, should we use it?
Forensic science and Biotechnology Ethics

• Bioethical questions are increasing in forensic science


• Is taking DNA from someone an unreasonable search?
• What about taking DNA from something they handled, like a soda can?
• Who should be required to be in the government DNA database? Convicts? People
who get arrested? Everyone?
• Who can refuse not to give out their DNA samples?
Biotech. Research and Ethics

• Basic research usually requires approval by an ethics board


• any risks in requiring experiments to get advance approval?
• What are the risks and benefits?

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