РефератыИностранный языкThThe Moral And Ethical Concerns With The

The Moral And Ethical Concerns With The

Use Of Genetically Modified Crops Essay, Research Paper


Background Ethics


= ?The study of the moral value of human conduct and the rules and


principles that govern it?1. Moral values of a certain topic can vary between


different people, this often leads to conflict. This has happened to the


Genetically Modified (GM) foods debate. The definition of Genetically modified foods from


the EC novel foods regulation is ?a food which is, or which is made from,


a genetically modified organism?containing genetic material or protein


resulting from the modification?17. Society has to decide what is deemed to be right and


the power to say where it is also wrong in a particular case. ?Ethical


decisions involve weighing up risks against the benefits?1.


The morals of an individual rely on their ?feeling rather than facts?1


of a situation. Areas of


discussion The views of the


general public on GM foods The role of the media


in the GM debate Scientific findings and


conclusions about GM foods and companies which are pro-GM 1.


The views of the general public on GM foods There


has always been great opposition to the idea of ?Frankenstein foods?2


by the public. This is greatly due to the public not understanding what a GM


crop consists of. The majority of people don?t like the idea of GM crops


because of many reasons. Some people think that the biotechnology companies are


in the business purely for money, ?It?ll make the rich people a lot


richer?a disgraceful way to make money?3. Other people are ?not


happy to eat them unless a lot more testing is done on them?4.


Religious groups feel very strongly about GM foods, they want nature to run


without human interference and also the feeling that ?you shouldn?t mess


with what God designed, humans aren?t the creator?5.? Not all of the public have the view that ?people


do not want its[the department of environment] food?6, there


are also some neutral feelings about GM foods that adopt the ?if you can?t beat


?em, join ?em? approach as they realize that they have ?probably been


eating them for years?7, which is true because sources have


shown that ?It is very likely that you have eaten food with at least


traces of GM ingredients?8. Clearly the majority is against the widespread


production and introduction of GM foods into our society. Friends of the earth,


(bearing in mind their biased view on the GM debate) believe that ?It


seems that the only people not convinced by the arguments against GM food are


the government and the GM food industry themselves?9. Aside


from the hype from Biased environmental companies there are still genuine


reasons for opposing GM foods. Two of the main fears of GM food technology are


?it will make people ill and?it will damage the earth?s fragile


eco-system?the scientific evidence on these two issues is inconclusive?10.


Scientists are now able to produce crops that are ?herbicide


tolerant?insect resistant?virus resistant?16. This is a


benefit as it enables the farmer to spray herbicide over crops without the


important crops being damaged. The public have fears against this because it is


thought that the ?herbicide-resistant crops will ?sterilise? fields


leaving them empty of plants for birds and insects to feed on?18.Although the public approve of GM sources to be used


in medicine, as a survey shows that ?74% of parents in England would let


their child undergo gene therapy?1, the public still don?t


want to eat it.??? 2.


The role of the media in the GM debate The


public seem to be swayed by television, radio and newspaper articles about GM


crops. ?Before spring 1999 there were very few media articles about GM?1.


There now seems to be an article in every other newspaper about it. The


newspapers can now ?name and shame? test site of GM crops. This could lead


Greenpeace activists to destroy the sites like 26 July 1999 when 28 people made


a ?dawn raid on a six-acre GM maize crop?11. Media can


be to blame for the hype surrounding GM crops. This is because ethics rather


than facts were emphasised as main points in many articles. The media plays a


key role in every aspect of the GM debate. Some papers perceive things in


different ways. An example of this is a Telegraph headline reads ?Mr.


Blair says ?I eat GM food and it is safe??1, whilst the


mirror reports on the same s

tory reads ?Fury as the Prime Monster says ?I


eat Frankenstein food and it is safe??1. ????????? The government use the media to


portray their messages across the nation. These include reassurances that GM is


good and to ?keep an open mind?It[GM] has the potential to deliver real


benefits to people.?12. 3.


Scientific findings and conclusions about GM foods and companies that are


pro-GM?? ?There


are 3 government departments and 7 advisory committees involved?the threat to


birds was not picked up by any of them?13. The GM companies


have backing from the government. The government are currently conducting


trials on various farms around the countries. This is good because ?we


need more research, not less?14 and ?If we are not


allowed to do experimental trials on GM crops, we shall never know the bad


things or good things about them?14. ????????? The scientific findings of GM foods


seem to be somewhat inconclusive. ?Scientists do not know all the answers


and should not claim to.?14. Scientist have found ?no


current evidence to suggest that the GM technologies used to produce food are


inherently harmful?15. Analysts have come up with possible


health effects towards humans these hazards include ?the inserted gene


may?produce an allergic reaction?. It may alter the way genes express


themselves?. Consumption?may alter the balance of existing micro-organisms in


the human gut?19.Summary There


are two extreme views about GM crops.?


The positive view taken by the government and the GM companies. There is


also the stronger negative view held by the media, the public and environmental


awareness companies. ????????? Can the modified foods produce


solutions to hunger, or are the GM companies just trying to make even more


money? We will never know. ????????? The main fact is that GM foods are not


wanted in this society, but we don?t have much choice as we are already eating


the modified Soya and maize, this is not helped by poor labelling of products. ????????? My view remains fairly neutral, that


there is no point fussing about the choice of our foods in the supermarkets and


to think about others that are less fortunate than ourselves. The promises made


by the super rich GM companies to try and combat this problem don?t seem to be


working so they should just let nature do its thing. We have survived until now


without GM products so there is no great need for them. The


public don?t have a great choice on this subject, even if it is against their


morals and principles. It is the people in power who make the decisions.??? References 1).Ethics


in biotechnology, 1. What is ethics?, www.gre.ac.uk/~ws02/GM_foods/ethnic.html2).A


mirror newspaper headline adapted from ?Ethics in biotechnology?


www.gre.ac.uk/~ws02/GM_foods/ethnic.html3).An


interviewee who wished not to be named, BBC online-GM foods, what people think,


8th October 1999.4).Abbie


Redland, BBC online-GM foods, what people think, 8th October 1999.5).Andrew


Parker BBC online-GM foods, what people think, 8th October 1999.6).?GM


food protests?, Thursday September 21 2000 the guardian newspaper7).George,


BBC online-GM foods, what people think, 8th October 1999.8).Am


I eating GM foods?? BBC online-GM foods,


8th October 1999.9).


What can you do? www.foe.co.uk/food_and_biotechnology/gm_food/ 10).


Is GM food harmful? BBC online-GM foods, 8th October 1999.11).


?GM food protests? Thursday September 21, 2000 the guardian newspaper12).


Message from the ministers ? www.gm-info.gov.uk/1999/message.htm


- official government GM website.13).


?Government failure? ? national campaigns/ briefings ? www.foe.co.uk 14).


?They were wrong?, Sunday September 24, 2000 the guardian newspaper.15).


Paragraph 7, ?Health implications of genetically modified foods? Professor Liam


Donaldson and Sir Robert May, May 199916).


Paragraph 8, uses of Genetic modification ?Health implications of genetically


modified foods? Professor Liam Donaldson and Sir Robert May, May 199917).


Paragraph 11, uses of Genetic modification ?Health implications of genetically


modified foods? Professor Liam Donaldson and Sir Robert May, May 199918).


?Real food? – www.foe.co.uk/food_and_biotechnology/gm_food/ 19).


Paragraph 26, ?Health implications of genetically modified foods? Professor


Liam Donaldson and Sir Robert May, May 1999.

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