business ethics

Business Ethics

JUNE 23

2015

GENETIC ENGINEERINGIS IT ETHICAL TO CHANGE AND MANIPULATE LIFE OF OTHERS?

Discipline: Business EthicsStudent: Anastasia Kornietskaya

Student ID: 13029281

Table of Contents

INTRODUCTION.....................................................................................................................................3

1 H ISTORY OF GENETIC ENGINEERING .............................................................................................4

2 WHY ARE ANIMALS USED INSTEAD OF GENETICALLY MODIFIED PLANTS?................................4

3 WHY ARE GENETICALLY MODIFIED ANIMALS PRODUCED?..........................................................5

4 INTRINSIC CONCERNS......................................................................................................................6

5 MORAL AND ETHICAL ISSUES.........................................................................................................6

6 UTILITY , R IGHTS , JUSTICE.............................................................................................................7

CONCLUSION ........................................................................................................................................9

REFERENCES..................................................................................................................................... 10

2 Genetic engineering: is it ethical to change and manipulate life of others?

INTRODUCTION

Just as the 20th century was a golden age of computing, the 21st century is the DNA age. New

technologies are transforming society and business and creating the potential for new ethical

problems. The technology I am speaking of is genetic engineering.

Things like glow-in-the-dark cats may seem to be the stuff of science fiction, but they were

actually created several years ago. You can find genetically modified animals today who have had

their DNA combined with that of other animals or altered in order to create a new group of genes.

Genetic engineering refers to a large variety of new techniques that allows change in the

genes of the cells of humans, animals, and plants. Genes, which are composed of deoxyribonucleic

acid (DNA), contain the blueprints that determine which characteristics an organism will have.

Through recombinant DNA technology, for example, the genes from one species can be removed

and inserted into the genes of another species to create a new kind of organism with the combined

characteristics of both species. Businesses have used genetic engineering to create and market new

varieties of vegetables, grains, sheep, cows, rabbits, bacteria, viruses, and numerous other

organisms.

The genetic engineering of animals has increased significantly in recent years. Ethical and

technical questions swirl around discussions of genetic engineering like the wall clouds of the eye of a

hurricane. Is this kind of technology ethical? Is it wrong for business to change and manipulate life in

this way? Is it ethical for businesses to market and distribute such engineered organisms throughout

the world when the consequences are so unpredictable?

Genetic engineering: is it ethical to change and manipulate life of others? 3

1 H ISTORY OF GENETIC ENGINEERING

The first human manipulation of genes occurred during the domestication of plants and

animals through artificial selection. The dog is believed to be the first animal domesticated, most likely

arising from the grey wolf. The other carnivores domesticated in prehistoric times were the cat and

polecat.

Genetic engineering as the direct transfer of DNA from one organism to another was first

accomplished by Herbert Boyer and Stanley Cohen in 1973.

The first transgenic animals were mice created in 1974 by Rudolf Jaenisch. These mice

contained viral SV40 leukemia genes, and the transgenes were not only present in the

mouse but also in its offspring.

Then, in 1982, Ralph Brinster of the University of Pennsylvania inserted the

structural gene for human growth hormone into mice embryos, and noticed the mice

with the foreign gene grew much larger than those without the gene and also passed

this trait to its offspring.

Since the mid-1980s transgenic mice have become a key model for investigating disease.

Mice are the model of choice not only because there is extensive analysis of its completed genome

sequence, but its genome is similar to the human. Moreover, physiologic and behavioral tests

performed on mice can be extrapolated directly to human disease. Robust and sophisticated

techniques are also easily available for the generic manipulation of mouse cells and embryos.

Another advantage of mice is the fact that they have a short reproduction cycle. Other transgenic

species, such as pig, sheep and rats are also used, but their use in pharmaceutical research has so

far been limited due to technical constraints.

Mice being used as models, for example, to study obesity, heart disease, diabetes, arthritis,

substance abuse, anxiety, ageing, Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease. They are also used

to study different forms of cancer.

2 WHY ARE ANIMALS USED INSTEAD OF GENETICALLY MODIFIED PLANTS?

There are two reasons why scientists prefer animals instead of plants.

First, animals may be preferred because of their closer biochemical similarity

to humans. This is important for making therapeutic molecules. Many animal proteins

need to be modified before they can carry out their function. Usually, the enzymes

that are needed to do this only exist in animal cells.


Another reason why animals are sometimes preferred for some genetic modification is

because they can make large amounts of product.

3 WHY ARE GENETICALLY MODIFIED ANIMALS PRODUCED?

The benefits of genetically modified animals to human welfare can be grouped into three

areas: agriculture, medicine and industry.

I. Agricultural Applications

a. Breeding

Traditional breeding is a time-consuming, difficult task. When technology using molecular

biology was developed, it became possible to develop traits in animals in a shorter time and with

more precision. In addition, it offers the farmer an easy way to increase yields.

b. Quality

Transgenic cows exist that produce more milk or milk with less lactose or cholesterol, pigs and cattle

that have more meat on them, and sheep that grow more wool.

c. Disease resistance

Scientists are attempting to produce disease-resistant animals, such as influenza-resistant

pigs, but a very limited number of genes are currently known to be responsible for resistance to

diseases in farm animals.

II. Medical Applications

a. Xenotransplantation

The worldwide demand for cells, tissues and organs for transplantation far

exceeds supply. People are dying while on waiting lists for transplants. Patients die


every year for lack of a replacement heart, liver, or kidney. For example, 5,000 organs are needed

every year in the United Kingdom.

Transplanting living cells, tissues or organs from animals to humans could solve the donation

shortfall. This is what is called xenotransplantation.

b. Nutritional supplements and pharmaceuticals

Products such as insulin, growth hormone, and blood anti-clotting factors may soon be or have

already been obtained from the milk of transgenic cows, sheep, or goats.

c. Human gene therapy

Gene therapy attempts to treat genetic diseases at the molecular level by correcting what is

wrong with defective genes.

III. Industrial Applications

In 2001, two scientists at Nexia Biotechnologies in Canada

spliced spider genes into the cells of lactating goats. These goats

could not set webs to catch their prey, and they did not possess

super-strength. Their appearance remained the same, but the goats

began to manufacture silk along with their milk and secrete tiny silk

strands from their body by the bucketful. By extracting polymer

strands from the milk and weaving them into thread, the scientists can create a light, tough, flexible

material that could be used in such applications as military uniforms, medical microsutures, and

tennis racket strings.

4 INTRINSIC CONCERNS

There are some religious critics who oppose genetic engineering for the fundamental reason

that human beings should not do what they perceive as playing God.

The essence of this concern, then, is that modern biotechnology is

trying to “displace the first Creator” by manipulating DNA, the basic

ingredient of all life, and in some cases crossing species boundaries

instituted by God.

The second major ethical concern is that the genetic

engineering of animals interferes with the telos of the animal. Telos is

the nature of an animal, the set of interests constitutive of its unique

form of life; the "pigness of the pig," the "dogness of the dog".


5 MORAL AND ETHICAL ISSUES

Genetic engineering has the potential to improve our health by preventing and treating

diseases, revolutionize our manner of living, help us to conserve limited resources, feed the hungry

and produce new wealth. Besides above advantages, there are also some downsides to it.

Before focusing on the moral and ethical issues concerning animal biotechnology, we need to

consider how animals and their treatment can raise any such issues at all. Why, in other words, might

animals be thought to matter ethically? We use plants, minerals and all kinds of other natural

materials for our own benefit and pleasure. Animals also can be extremely useful to us in many ways.

So what, if anything, is wrong with using a pig or a monkey or a rat for our own ends, as we might use

a tree or a rock?

The answer is that in addition to human beings, other animals have intrinsic value and are

deserving our respect and protection. The life of every animal «itself has value» apart from the

interests of human beings. Because of the intrinsic value of its life, each animal has certain moral

rights, in particular the right to be treated with respect.

Animal rights is the idea that some, or all, non-human animals are entitled to the

possession of their own lives and that their most basic interests—such as the need to

avoid suffering—should be afforded the same consideration as similar interests of

human beings.

Genetic engineering and selective breeding appear to violate animal rights, because they

involve manipulating animals for human ends as if the animals were nothing more than human

property, rather than treating the animals as being of value in themselves.

Animal experiments are widely used to develop new medicines and to test the safety of other

products. Many of these experiments cause pain to the animals involved or reduce their quality of life

in other ways. The utilitarian and rights arguments imply that it is wrong to use animals in painful test

procedures. For example:

1. Modern pigs have been bred to grow extra fast - some breeds now grow too fast for

their hearts, causing discomfort when animals are too active.

2. Broiler chickens are bred to grow fast - some now grow too fast for their legs

If it is morally wrong to cause animals to suffer then experimenting on animals produces

serious moral problems.


6 UTILITY , R IGHTS , JUSTICE

Utilitarianism is a general term for any view that holds that actions and

policies should be evaluated on the basis of benefits and costs they will

impose on society. The utilitarian approach argues that here,as in other

ethical decisions,a calculation has to be made of what is likely to maximise

pleasure and minimise pain.The best course of action, ethically speaking, is that which produces the

most overall satisfaction.

The main problems with this approach are concerned with how exactly to do this calculation,

particularly when we are talking about animal experiences of pleasure and pain, which are probably

different from human perception. Also, if we are aiming at the maximum overall satisfaction, how are

animal pains and pleasures to be weighed against human ones? Are human interests to be given a

heavier weighting than animal ones?

There are

some scientists

saying that actually

human interests are

more important than animal ones and that the potential benefits from genetic engineering are great,

and that research should continue. By continuing with genetic engineering research, cures

for diseases could be found, prevention measures could be determined, and human

health could actually improve. This means that society as a whole would benefit

from ongoing research into genetic engineering. However, this manner of thinking is

clearly solely anthropocentric or human – centered.

Rights are the individual entitlements to freedom of choice and well – being.

Inserting genes into animals and causing unpredictable effects can be stressful, and in

some cases lethal, to the animals. Experimenting with deleting genes, gene

mutations or defective genes may cause drastic physiological and behavioral changes, which would

be very traumatic to the organisms. In my opinion, animals should not be used in scientific testing,

because animals have their own interests, and these interests should not be violated.


However, there are people who believe that animals do not have any rights at all. Others agree

that animals do have rights, but wonder if animal rights should be protected at the expense of human

rights.

The last but not the least, justice refers to distributing benefits and burdens fairly

among people. Genetic engineering is a very important social justice issue. It deals

with what makes us ourselves: genes. Money will become even more eternal than

it is in our days for the sake of perfection. The lack of money will not be socially

accepted and other social justice issues such as discrimination, crimes, money

problems, and others will increase and cause more trouble than genetic engineering is doing good for

the world.


CONCLUSION

The genetic engineering of animals is not something new, but it is controversial topic, which

raises numerous concerns. The ethics of genetic engineering, the implications for animal health and

welfare, the risk of human health of using products derived from genetically engineered animals,

religious concerns are all complicated questions that are raised with this topic.

Genetic engineering is a double – edged sword. Genetic engineering has the potential to

improve our health by preventing and treating diseases, revolutionize our manner of living, help us to

conserve limited resources, feed the hungry and produce new wealth. Number of people who are

dying while waiting for transparent organ will decrease, quality of milk will improve, animal breeding

will be consume less time, meaning that productivity and profitability of businesses will increase.

Besides above advantages, there are certain issues associated with this field that make us think

whether the practices can be considered as valid and harmless on an ethical issue.

Genetic engineering is associated with a tremendous amount of animal suffering. Scientists

use hundreds to thousands animals for experiments in order to reach success. As technology is

highly inefficient, results can be largely unpredictable: animals can be hurt, diseases can be produced

inside the animal, raising further welfare concerns.

Genetic engineering appear to violate animal rights, because this process involves

manipulating animals for human needs as if the animals were nothing more than human property,

rather than treating animals as being a value in themselves. In fact, animals are sentient, capable of

feeling pain and suffering, therefore human have certain moral obligations and responsibilities.

Human interests are not more important than animal ones and even if potential benefits from

genetic engineering are great, research should not go on. By continuing with genetic engineering

research, more animals will be hurt. Benefits and burdens are not distributed equally. While human

beings are getting cures for diseases, improvements in human health, animals are suffering

Genetic engineering cannot be considered as ethical practice, because it does not satisfy three

moral standards: utility, rights and justice. It is unethical for businesses to market and distribute such

engineered organisms throughout the world, because the technology is not constant and the

consequences can be unpredictable. It is wrong for businesses to change life of animals, because we

do not have rights to “replace the First Creator” by manipulating the basic ingredient of all life – DNA.

God created humans as intelligent creatures, so we should use our intelligence in order to improve

living environment instead of using other living creatures as if they do not have intrinsic value. Human

beings are just a part of the whole world, which means that we should respect other living creatures.

10

Genetic engineering: is it ethical to change and manipulate life of others?

REFERENCES

1. http://www.centerforinquiry.net/uploads/attachments/genetic-engineering-ethics_2.pdf

2. http://resources.schoolscience.co.uk/BBSRC/ethics/ethics_animal_biotech.pdf

3. http://www.idt.mdh.se/kurser/cd5590/Archives/07_11/GenEngineering.pdf

4. Fox, K., McAvoy, L. “Environmental Ethics: Strengths and Dualisms of Six Dominant Themes.”

< http://www.fw.umn.edu/NRES3011/FoxMcAvoy.html>

5. Boyd Group. “Genetic engineering: Animal welfare and ethics.” 1999.

http://www.boydgroup.demon.co.uk/genmod.htm

6. http://www.researchgate.net/publication/

228320168_Genetically_Modified_Organisms_and_Justice_The_International_Environmental_

Justice_Implications_of_Biotechnology

7. http://www.jpe.ox.ac.uk/papers/biotechnology-justice-and-health/

8. http://www.infoplease.com/cig/biology/legal-ethical-considerations.html

9. http://ilarjournal.oxfordjournals.org/content/43/2/100.full

10.http://www.all-creatures.org/articles/ar-animalsandge.html

11.https://www.animallaw.info/article/detailed-discussion-genetic-engineering-and-animal-rights-

legal-terrain-and-ethical

12.http://www.rsrevision.com/Alevel/ethics/genetic_engineering/ethics.htm

13.http://www.bbc.co.uk/ethics/animals/rights/introduction.shtml

14.http://www.whatisbiotechnology.org/science/transgenic


http://www.bbc.co.uk/ethics/animals/rights/introduction.shtml

http://www.rsrevision.com/Alevel/ethics/genetic_engineering/ethics.htm

https://www.animallaw.info/article/detailed-discussion-genetic-engineering-and-animal-rights-legal-terrain-and-ethical

https://www.animallaw.info/article/detailed-discussion-genetic-engineering-and-animal-rights-legal-terrain-and-ethical

http://www.all-creatures.org/articles/ar-animalsandge.html

http://ilarjournal.oxfordjournals.org/content/43/2/100.full

http://www.infoplease.com/cig/biology/legal-ethical-considerations.html

http://www.jpe.ox.ac.uk/papers/biotechnology-justice-and-health/

http://www.researchgate.net/publication/228320168_Genetically_Modified_Organisms_and_Justice_The_International_Environmental_Justice_Implications_of_Biotechnology



http://www.boydgroup.demon.co.uk/genmod.htm

http://www.idt.mdh.se/kurser/cd5590/Archives/07_11/GenEngineering.pdf

http://resources.schoolscience.co.uk/BBSRC/ethics/ethics_animal_biotech.pdf

http://www.centerforinquiry.net/uploads/attachments/genetic-engineering-ethics_2.pdf

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