Pratiwi SudarmonoFaculty of Medicine, University of Indonesia

Presented at JBHKI, Padang, March 15, 2014

Biotechnology milestonesWatson and Crick discover the structure of DNA in 1952Early 70s : discovery of restriction enzymes ; lead to a

gene and molecular cloning

Dolly sheep born in July ,1996, using SCNT techniques

complete human genome,2003

GMO

Biotech product available

BiotechnologyBiotechnology is the use of biological processes, organisms, or

systems to manufacture products intended to improve the quality of human life.

Biotechnology, at its core, is about understanding life and using this knowledge to benefit people.

a significant force in improving the quality of people’s lives in the 21st century.

Red biotech : applied to medicine and healthGreen biotech : applied to agricultureGrey biotech : applied to many chemical processesBlue biotech : applied in marine and aquatic life

http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/biotechnology

Concern of an ethical issueBiotechnology, like other advanced technologies,

has the potential for misuse. Concern about this has led to efforts by some

groups to enact legislation restricting or banning certain processes or programs, such as human cloning and embryonic stem-cell research.

There is also concern that if biotechnological processes are used by groups with a bizarre intent, the end result could be biological warfare.

The human capacity for good and evil, whether intended or unintended, impacts how people view the ethics of technology

Biotechnology has some characteristic which are different from other technology, that require a careful re-examination of how its ethical dimensions are evaluated, it is not only difficult, but different

Challenging characteristics of biotechnologyThe Vulnerability of Nature previous ethical approach focused only on

human, with an assumption that natural resources were in endless supply, and that nature could rebound from any human impact

Examples :Issues of GMO and the environment problem,It is more than just human-human interactions

Challenging characteristics of biotechnologyLimitations with right

Access to biotechnology and new treatments can be defended on the basis of individual rights and personal autonomy, for example when an individual person may want reproductive cloning

rather than focusing exclusively on human rights and entitlements, the new technological era requires a greater focus on human responsibility.

Challenging characteristics of biotechnologyFuture consequences

Earlier technology impacted humans and their lives, but did not have the potential to change human nature. Biotechnology does !

Predictions about these consequences can be difficult and unreliable !

“ THE PRECAUTIONARY PRINCIPLES “ (humans are limited in our ability to understand,

control and direct nature)

Challenging characteristics of biotechnologyImpact on human nature and personhood

The capacity for biotechnology to create and change human lives calls for careful reflection on what it means to be human and the place of human personhood.

According to the contemporary German philosopher, Jurgen Habermas (2003)

‘‘For as soon as adults treat the desirable genetic traits of their descendents as a product they can shape according to a design of their own liking, they are exercising a kind of control over their genetically manipulated offspring that ... should only be exercised over things, not persons.’’

Social, emotional and spiritual implications of developments in biotechnologyBiotechnology has the potential to do great

good, but also has the potential to cause much harm

Cars and computers have affected many aspects of human life and society

Biotechnology could change what it means to be human

People have rightsEach right carries a corollary duty or

responsibilitiesResponsibility is a corollary of power

BiotechnologyBrings new powers to humanityThose powers should remind us of our

responsibilities to nature and the environment, to all of life, to the future, and to human nature and personhood

To make the right ethical decisions “ requires supreme wisdom ”

Who have it ?

Future discussionMake the coming generations stakeholders in

our ethical analysis.

Consideration of transgenerational consequences may impose limits on what we do now in the interest of those who come after us

Minimally, we should not knowingly inflict harm

ReferenceMargaret R.McLean. A Framework for

Thinking Ethically About Human Biotechnology , http://www.scu.edu/ethics/publications/submitted/mclean/biotechframework.html

Donal P.O’Mathuna. Bioethics and biotechnology. Cytotechnology (2007) 53 : 113 – 119

Latifah Amin et.al. Islamic ethics and modern biotechnology. SARI, Int.J.of Malay world and civilization (2009) 27.2, 285 - 296