MANY TO MANY 67

Like mountaineers are drawn to climbing mountains simply because they are there, scientists seem drawn to exploring into and manipulating the very blueprint of life forms, simply because they now have the know-how to do so.

No wonder this new technology is making people very nervous and apprehensive in spite of assurances that all genetic engineering and biotechnology will be used to make new and better things and species, from grain to humans.

"The name of the game is patents", says Jeremy Rifkin, president of the American Foundation on Economic Trends, and adds: "In the next seven to ten years, we will have isolated virtually all 60,000 genes that...make up the blueprint of the human race. Virtually every single one of those genes will be the intellectual property of life science companies. They will own the genetic blueprints of our species for 20 years at least."

Jeremy Rifkin, who participated in a debate in May 1998, organised by UNESCO, pointed out that companies were seeing "genes as one of the hottest commodities" and that "huge mergers and acquisitions were taking place in the life science industry." In spite of the present and future agricultural, medical and other benefits to humankind of genetic engineering, Mr. Rifkin believes that "the implications of this new science and its technological applications are chilling.'

Many scientists are openly speaking about the dangers of genetic engineering and in numerous countries the general public is demanding that food with genetically modified ingredients are clearly labelled. In UK, for example, a survey showed 93% of consumers want labelling of such food and another survey in Germany found that 87% of consumers would boycott genetically altered food.

Added to the possible dangers of genetic altered food consumption is what Dr. John Fagan, a molecular biologist, calls the tactics of "strategic ignorance" which insists that "there is no need to regulate a product unless it has been 'incontestably' shown to be dangerous." So called 'regulatory bodies' cannot be relied upon to protect the consumer, he maintains, since they are heavily swayed by the need to protect the food industry.

It is difficult to say the least for an ordinary, reasonably intelligent, person to feel adequately informed on this highly charged subject of such importance to present and future generations, and to know how to arrive at any conclusion which would give one some peace of mind. It would seem that this "life science" industry is at present predominantly in the hands of people with very little regard for life. Mr. M.G.K. Menon, former minister of state for science and technology of India and a member of, the UNESCO International Bioethics Committee, sees many benefits from biotechnology and genetic engineering and maintains that "bioethics is really a new way of thinking about our future and our value system."

It is Jeremy Rifkin's hope that all aspects of genetic engineering in the future will adopt a "soft path" approach, which will be governed by two basic rules: "Do not harm, and choose the path that is least likely to forego opportunities for those who are not yet here." He urges that genetic engineering should be used to:

* understand the relationship between plants and the environment in order to create a sophisticated organic based agriculture; and in the medical field, to
* develop preventive health by understanding the subtle relationship between genetic predispositions for disease and environmental triggers.

He also calls for: "a robust public debate around the world, a more elaborate and sophisticated debate than we have had up to now so that this science is used to reconnect us, to integrate us back into-our partnership with the rest of the biosphere that we live in."


UNESCO "Sources", June 1998.
Subscriptions: 7 Place de Fontenoy, 75352 Paris 07 SP, France.
FAX: +33 01-45 68 56 54. Internet: http://www.unesco.org


The Universal Declaration on the Human Genome and Human Rights was adopted in November 1997 by the 29th General Conference of UNESCO Member States. It sets universal ethical standards on human genome research and practices and seeks to balance the freedom of researchers with the need to protect humanity from potential abuses. It is hoped that the Declaration will be endorsed by the UN General Assembly.


Many to Many
a quarterly publication issued by
Operation Peace through Unity

Anthony Brooke and Gita Brooke, co-founders
Te Rangi, 4 Allison Street, Wanganui 5001, New Zealand
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Many to Many
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