Bioethics and concerns pertaining to Biotechnology

What is Bioethics?

Considering what is good or bad from a moral point of view in the application of biological innovations especially on humans is called bioethics.

In other words, Bioethics may be defined as a set of standards that may be used to regulate our activities in relation to the biological world.

Developments in biotechnology have raised several bioethical issues. Biotechnology has been labelled as unnatural and detrimental to biodiversity.

Major Bioethical concerns pertaining to Biotechnology:

• The use of animals in biotechnology causes great suffering.
• While producing pharmaceutical proteins on a commercial scale from animals, the animals are being reduced to ‘mere factories’.
• The introduction of a transgene from one species into another species violates the ‘integrity of species’.
• Transfer of human genes into animals and vice versa dilutes the concept of ‘humanness’.
• It is disrespectful to living beings and only exploits them for the benefit of human beings.
• Biotechnology may pose unforeseen risks to the environment including risk to biodiversity.