Ethical Issues Associated with Genetic Modification Plant
Ethical Issues Associated with Genetic Modification of Plant for Crop Plantation
Genetic modification of plant for crop plantation presents to create or maximise desirable characteristic of plant, such as increased yield, to produce better quality food and resistance to disease or resistance to climatic extremes like heat, cold and frost. However, most consumers have doubts about genetic modification plants on a less easily defined level. Many consumers could not accept genetic modified plant due to personal, religious, legitimate health reasons. Moreover, ecological risks do arise when a plant is genetically modified. Question always require to answer are, do genetically modified plant represent the solution to world hunger, is it unacceptable risks to environment and human health, is it a means for improving equitable sharing of the benefits of technological advance.
Among the issues, one of the most concerning ethical issues is whether it is ethical for human to manipulate other organisms in their environment. Especially for Jewish religion, they believe that human should not interfere with God’s creation. One of the Jewish most respected leaders, Pabbi Yehuda Leob Bezalel, stated that God created creatures in “a fully functional and beautiful form”. (Galun, 2005). Many people feel uneasy about putting animal genes into crops, especially vegetarians, might offended by wheat containing animal genes. In the United Kingdom, it is important to label such genetically modified food, allowing people to choose whether or not to purchase foods made from such crops.
While concern about the issue of morality of crossing species gene, next, is the food safety issue. Plants are the basis of human diet. A major worry of the public is that genetic modified plants contain ethically sensitive genes, for example, antibiotic marker genes. The obvious fear is that antibiotic marker gens could be recruited into humans rendering antibiotics ineffective in curing bacterial
Genetic modification of plant for crop plantation presents to create or maximise desirable characteristic of plant, such as increased yield, to produce better quality food and resistance to disease or resistance to climatic extremes like heat, cold and frost. However, most consumers have doubts about genetic modification plants on a less easily defined level. Many consumers could not accept genetic modified plant due to personal, religious, legitimate health reasons. Moreover, ecological risks do arise when a plant is genetically modified. Question always require to answer are, do genetically modified plant represent the solution to world hunger, is it unacceptable risks to environment and human health, is it a means for improving equitable sharing of the benefits of technological advance.
Among the issues, one of the most concerning ethical issues is whether it is ethical for human to manipulate other organisms in their environment. Especially for Jewish religion, they believe that human should not interfere with God’s creation. One of the Jewish most respected leaders, Pabbi Yehuda Leob Bezalel, stated that God created creatures in “a fully functional and beautiful form”. (Galun, 2005). Many people feel uneasy about putting animal genes into crops, especially vegetarians, might offended by wheat containing animal genes. In the United Kingdom, it is important to label such genetically modified food, allowing people to choose whether or not to purchase foods made from such crops.
While concern about the issue of morality of crossing species gene, next, is the food safety issue. Plants are the basis of human diet. A major worry of the public is that genetic modified plants contain ethically sensitive genes, for example, antibiotic marker genes. The obvious fear is that antibiotic marker gens could be recruited into humans rendering antibiotics ineffective in curing bacterial