Biotechnology and Ethical Issues

Introduction

Bioethics in biotechnology has historical and contemporary manifestations. Biotechnology is the field of biology that uses technology along with living organisms to create desired products. There are various fields of biotechnology, and the most used one is the field related to medicine and more. The field is also known as red biotechnology. Various testing and experiments are done in biotechnology to get adequate results, but these experiments are sometimes against ethics and more. 

Ethical Issues in Biotechnology

Ethical issues in biotechnology are specific issues that are morally wrong. Such issues can affect the fundamental moral principle that creates a massive conflict with the normal working of the society. We have divided the ethical issue related to biotechnology into specific subcategories. These groups are-

• Socio-economic issues
• Cultural issues
• Legal issues
• Environmental issues
• Religious issues

There are several principles relating to ethics, medical ethics, scientific and technological ethics, justice and human dignity and its related ethics, and more of such ethical issues in biotechnology. 

• Socio-economic issues

The scientific community and society promise significant advancement in biotechnology but never yours the harmlessness regarding socio-economic life. Such arguments and interactions are some of the most problematic ones to be considered out there. Social-economic issues interfere with the natural way or the initial god’s process of learning the environment. Search issues could be related to the cultural backgrounds, and also it could be on the level of different public awareness. The development of technology destroys the environment, which is a tricky thing. 

• Cultural issues

Different cultures have different thoughts and values. These values are the reflection of their long-lasting concept. Sometimes biotechnology hinders these cultural concepts, which is not something to look out for. Biotechnology has given us everything to improve the quality of life. Still, if one interferes with the cultural aspect of the human, there can be ethical issues arising from such matters. 

• Environmental issues

Environmental issues are also severe to look out for regarding ethical issues in biotechnology. Ecological issues might arise when one destroys the living flora or the fauna. Gene manipulation of different crops to produce hybrids is one of the most problematic issues. Even for most biotech experiments, other organisms are made to sacrifice. Due to such harsh sacrifices, numerous plant and animal species have been mutated regularly. Crops such as sugarcane have gone through genetic mutation and recombination, which has continuously destroyed the original constituent of the crop. Due to the prolonged mutation, these crops get mutated for a generation. The genes pass from one progeny to another, degrading the quality of the organism. 

• Religious issues

One of the most faced issues with biotechnology is that it hurts people’s sentiments on a religious basis. The cow is considered to be very sacred by Hindus. People pray for the animals in countries such as India. Many plants are considered very sacred. Religious issues can be exceptionally sentimental and personal, and people get free attached to such matters. Some holy plants and animals are blessed and very sacred to lots of communities. These communities protect the organisms at any cause. Killing these organisms is a matter of deep concern. 

• Other legal issues

Special laws protect many plants and animals. These laws protect these animals and plants from being disturbed to overcome. Many sacred plants and animals are manipulated for other experimental uses from their natural home. Sometimes due to the limitation of the organism reacting to biotechnology, the choice becomes very harsh. In such a case, these organisms are used, but this can create a severe law issue if the sacrifice for the mutation goes wrong. Different governments have different restrictions and rules regarding these species and their uses. Hence, a scientist must be aware that it must be legal to operate according to the country’s laws before using specific species for Biotechnology. 

Conclusion

Bioethics in biotechnology has always been problematic when we see it from the view of development. On the other hand, keeping moral integrity is also one of the essential jobs for a scientist or a developer. But sometimes, the thin boundary between ethics and experiments is violated.