Do You Think That Biotechnology Produces Profound Ethical Questions?

Our modern world has been revolutionized by biotechnology. Some modernization has been good, other modernization has been and is scary to say the least. If, you were as old as I am you would have the experience of knowing for instance how delicious a tomato tasted when you were a child and what tomato tastes like today. Biotechnology has engineered new ways to produce tomatoes and today a tomato is still red, but it does not taste like a tomato once tasted.

To me that is not an ethical issue, but it surely is a disappointing issue to me personally, since tomatoes were a favorite fruit of mine as I grew up. Many foods are the same, because through biotechnology they have been tampered with and I for one do not appreciate the intervention into food. I believe the incidence of many cancers is directly related to biotechnology and the impurties generated through the process of biotechnology.

The old saying, "if it ain't broke don't fix is my personal policy."  I believe there is a direct link between biotechnology and increased incidence in heart disease and many other diseases and much is related to food processing today. Food does not taste as food once did and as I grew up people were not always sick as they are today.

Yes, tomato plants and other plants may produce larger and longer lasting food, but that does not make them taste any better or even guarantee they are better.  This is just a very simple example of what biotechnology has done to our food. Sadly, some food has lost its value as a result.

As I grew up there was no medical cure for tuberculosis, my uncle went away to a special hospital for months and his only treatment was bed rest, when he finally came home he developed cancer of the lung and died as a result of this. Today due to biotechnology in the production of medicine this disease is very rare and if it does occur it is curable with medication. This is a good point for biotechnology.

When I was an OB/GYN Scrub technician, one of my tasks after the delivery of a baby was to box up the placenta and umbilical cord and place it is a deep freeze. These were sold by the hospital to a scientific research facility, which was doing gene and cell research using the blood and cells from the umbilical cord of the newborn infants. Because of the research which was being done at that time we now know there are ways to use this knowledge to heal or slow down some illnesses. This biotechnology was not invasive, did not destroy life and did no harm. Thus, it was ethical and it was legitimate research.

Biotechnology goes beyond the bounds of ethical, moral, policy and legal procedures when the scientific world does not know, understand or ignores these non-technical topics. For selfish reasoning sometimes folks dare to go into those areas, which push the envelope beyond the restraints of social, economic, ethical and legal issues because of their lack of respect for the rights of others and their own desire to outsmart God Himself.

We need questions such as the following to be answered, meanwhile we have to make our personal decision based on our personal belief system. How safe is biotechnology? How does biotechnology in genetics fly in the face of God and those who believe in God's law: killing is sinful, regardless of the reason, age or circumstance? When I think of biotechnology, I am reminded of a politician who once wanted to be president and made a statement about the elderly and disabled people having a responsibility to die so others could live better. The clash of ethics and biotechnology borders on the hidden meaning within this and similar statements. Unethical scientists can create and use biotechnology to harm some, in order to save others. This is unethical and when a scientist crosses this line, then yes biotechnology certainly does create strong ethical questions and clashes.

My personal belief is the whole issue of fetal stem-cell research borders on ethical and moral issues and raises very serious questions, which will not be ignored by One, far greater than you and I. This research can be accomplished through umbilical cord blood studies, among other methods. Some scientists have gone beyond what we have, in their attempts to become creators. Frozen embryos is another very serious issue and the folks playing with life, will be dealt with in time by the Creator of Life.