GENETIC TRESPASSING AND ENVIRONMENTAL ETHICS

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GENETIC TRESPASSING AND ENVIRONMENTAL ETHICS

By Dr. Mira Fong

 

Faces of hope, voices of space,

None for us to seek and prey

They are children from the sun

Innocent in their mortal wound

Singing earth songs

 

The Metamorphosis

 

Will fish mate with tomatoes or soybeans crossbreed with

petunias? Will pigs mate with humans or rabbits with mice? Of

course not, but some scientists are combining the genes of these

diverse creatures against the laws of natural selection. This

unsacred liaison invented by chemical corporate giants is called

genetic engineering. This high tech species metamorphosis makes

the Existential writer Franz Kafka, with his man Gregor who woke

up one morning and found that he had become a giant bug, a

prophet of our time.

 

Millions of cows imprisoned inside factory farms suddenly wake up

to find their udders engorged to an enormous size. Instead of

carrying twelve pounds of milk to feed their calves, the cows are

forced to pump out fifty to sixty pounds of milk just for human

consumption, not knowing they've been injected with a genetically

engineered growth hormone.

 

Genes are blue prints composed of thousands of genetic codes.

They carry information for the proteins that make up the

structure, function and outward traits that constitute the

individual organism. DNA ultimately dictates the distinctive

qualities of a species, from microorganism to insect, plant,

animal and human being. The genetic codes in DNA determine

physical forms, skin color, size of fruits, sensory structures of

animals, types of trees, specific times for flowers to blossom,

and billions of other features and functions.

 

Genetic engineering (or bioengineering) is a technique to splice,

delete, add, isolate, recombine or transfer genes from one

organism to another that may be totally unrelated. Alteration in

genes and chromosomes causes disruption and disturbance in the

biochemical structure of species and can result in species

mutation. It is a kind of artificially programmed

evolution (or devolution) changing the individual organism as its

starting point, in contrast to natural evolution in which changes

occur among diverse populations through natural selection.

 

Since the early nineteen fifties, biologists began to turn their

attention to the mysterious double helix called DNA. Within

twenty years scientists were already mixing DNA extracted from

different species. The quantum leap of this new technology

allowed the human creature to become the new creator of life on

earth, creating a variety of plants and animals. Now natural

evolution can be halted at our fingertips, forever altering the

meaning of life and forcing us to redefine religion, nature and

individuality.

 

Cellular dynamics in all living systems requires mutual

acknowledgement and interdependence, a constant cooperation

between the individual life and the entire biosphere to maintain

the stability and equilibrium suitable for species survival. The

holistic concept of the Gaia Hypothesis proposes a subtle mutual

participation between organic life (the moving part) and the

geological environment (the unmoving part) as an integral whole

in the evolutionary journey. Bioengineering disregards this

fundamental intricacy by disrupting species integrity, a gesture

in contempt of nature's wisdom. Science can alter other

creature's very genetic structure to suit our desires and the

market value. Do animals, plants, forests, mountains, and oceans

exist only for human benefit?

 

The Silenced Plea

 

Among the many victims of these artificial mutations, farm

animals suffer the most. Their entire lives are locked inside

factory warehouses, manipulated by machines as if their sole

purpose to be born was to be harvested by man. They never have a

chance to see the sky or smell the earth. They can never

experience the pleasure or the freedom of living beings like our

pets, the wildlife, or ourselves. Farm animals are subjected to

life long abuse by the most atrocious, appalling manipulation

invented by agribusiness. Their utter misfortune is caused by

being labeled as food animals, but they are still sentient beings

not so different than we are.

 

The super pig, a product of genetic engineering, is a sick

animal, fattened artificially by human growth hormone. This super

pig must endure side effects including crippling arthritis and

distorted vision caused by the human growth genes that makes them

cross-eyed. Pigs are being modified with human genes so that the

organs of their offspring can be transplanted into humans. Soon,

in addition to factory pig farms, there will be pig organ farms.

A new creature called a GEEP, is part goat and part sheep. In

nature, the two species never mate, but our modern alchemists

have already perfected such a new species that never existed

before.

 

And then there is the case of the ordinary chicken. The modern

bird has been bred to grow at twice its normal rate. Its legs can

no longer carry its massive body weight, and the animal suffers

leg pain and deformities as well as an enormous strain on its

heart and lungs. Often these chickens experience heart failure

before the age of six weeks. Many other die due to rampant

infectious diseases caused by intensive breeding. A transgenic

chicken is engineered with a cow's growth hormone gene, which

imbalances its entire metabolism. One cannot imagine the

intensity of suffering caused by such mutations.

 

Someday, chickens might be engineered with genes from centipedes,

giving the birds more than two legs, so that we can have more

drum sticks for our dinner table. Or the chicken may be further

modified into a kind of tube, without head, wings or tail, but

with many legs, so it will produce more meat for us and be easier

to manage for commercial exploitation. No one will know how to

take care of this new breed of animal; in fact there will be no

need for veterinarians. The new food machine, no longer a real

creature by definition, can put an end of hundreds years of

debate on animal rights.

 

Are farm animals not part of the animal kingdom sanctified by

nature? Are they not " the breathing shapes, many voiced

landscape, " a phrase borrowed from David Abram's book, The End Of

Nature. They also have their special journey on Earth and deserve

equal compassion and protection. The primary reason that they are

excluded from ethical considerations, and even from the nature

programs on public television, is because of their innocence and

gentleness that allows them to easily be raised and turned into

our food. We would be very outraged if wild animals like

elephants and dolphins were subjected to such conditions.

 

The Brave New World

 

Over the last three million years, human beings developed slowly

from a species that was mostly vegetarian like other primates,

living in harmony with other animals. Then we gradually developed

agriculture, languages and weapons. During the last two hundred

years since the industrial revolution our power has soared and

the development of our techno-culture has escalated at an

alarming rate. The human population will soon reach six billion

and will double its number again in the next thirty years. Daniel

Quinn describes the scenario of population explosion in his book

" The Story of B. " He demonstrates that caged mice continue to

multiply as long as their food supply is unlimited. Quinn's

conclusion is based upon a fundamental law of ecology: An

increase in food availability for a species results in population

growth for that species. Genetic engineering aims at unnaturally

increased food production to fuel the already excessive human

population explosion that is burdening the planet and its

resources.

 

Presently we are breeding 1.28 billion cattle, which further

deplete the Earth's resources. In America, one hundred thousand

cows are slaughtered every day to satisfy we human carnivores.

Eventually, the planet will be crowded with human species along

with our billions of food animals. As for the rest of the

species, they will go extinct by loosing their natural habitat.

There is a strong connection between diet and behavior, with the

global emphasis on meat-eating reinforcing aggression in society.

As a result, we humans have become the deadliest predators on the

planet. The fast growing new industry of biotechnology will

eventually usher us into a brave new world beyond imagination.

Not even Plato, Darwin or contemporary evolutionists and

ethicists can provide meaning for such a strange world.

 

Biotech companies also profit from patenting new species,

genetically engineered bacteria, seeds, primates, pigs, cows,

chickens, dogs, rabbits, and mice and owning the new species

under patent rights. The first ever patented animal was the ONCO-

MOUSE in 1992, a mouse genetically engineered for cancer

research, and many other patented species are soon to follow.

Patenting lab created animals is not only religiously and

ethically offensive, it opens endless possibilities for humans to

exploit other living beings.

 

 

Confusion in the Air

 

Mono-agriculture, the production of a few selected crops for mass

production, itself is an artificial manipulation of nature. Along

with the heavy spray of pesticide and herbicide it is abusive to

the soil and threatens biodiversity. Planting bioengineered

herbicide resistant crops, which is one of the main projects of

genetic engineering will only allow farmers to spray higher level

of herbicides without damaging crops. A vicious cycle will be

created that will seriously contaminate our environment and

poison animals.

 

Another danger is that biotechnology promises us a new variety of

disease resistant crops. Transgenic crops contain genes from

viruses, bacteria, animals and other plants. For example,

transgenic tomatoes and strawberries contain the antifreeze gene

from Arctic fish so they are better frost resistant. Such

bizarre, surreal combinations not only can disrupt the host

genetic functions but also can cause confused, chaotic

biochemical mutations in the plants.

 

When transgenic crops cross pollinate with wild plants, it can

cause migration of their gene traits, including making them

resistant to antibiotics. In time this migration will lead to new

mutations and the fields will be eventually taken over by the

super grass created by our genetic indiscretion.

 

 

The production of new lab crops in developed countries poses a

threat to the livelihood of millions of farmers in undeveloped

countries. For example, the lab product of coca butter and a new

sugar substitute could put ten million farmers in poor countries

out of work. The new product will not help farmers in poor

countries who cannot afford such technology. The increased crops

mainly benefit the countries already living in abundance, and the

profit primarily goes to the transnational industries that are

forging new global commercial monopolies in the name of

scientific advancement.

 

Transgenic salmon contains genes from Arctic sea flounder, which

enables them to grow six times larger and faster. Yet eventually

these salmon can escape into the wild and cause unpredictable

ecological disruption. The DNA of a virus can pass through even

the gut of mice and find its way into every kind of cell,

creating genetic disturbances including cancer, a disease that

more than thirty years of medical research has been unable to

find the cure.

 

A gene can replicate indefinitely, spread and combine. We have no

means to stop this process but must let it pass on in its

invisible ways. When a massive load of virus genes combines with

wild relatives it can result in creating super viruses that can

lead to deadly diseases. Dr. Mae-Wan Ho from the Open University

biology department in the United Kingdom believes that " a vector

currently used in fish has a framework from marine leukaemic

virus, which causes leukaemia in mice, but can infect all

mammalian cells. Vectors used in genetic engineering can infect a

wide range of species. It's a bad science and a bad business

making dangerous alliance. "

 

Pathogens, The Ultimate Predator

 

Along with ecological disasters, the year 1997 can be rightly

named a year of the holocaust of farm animals. Outbreaks of

infectious diseases among farm animals all over the world has

caused researchers to worry that we are due for another global

epidemic, primarily owing to the over use of antibiotics. Two

strains of E. coli as well as Staphylococcus bacteria now

contaminate meat, poultry and diary products. Genetic engineering

can greatly compound this problem. Laboratory contained

transgenic organisms when released into the environment are

capable of spreading across species barriers and creating new

diseases. A new danger is that they can easily develop multiple

antibiotic resistance. In recent years old diseases like cholera,

malaria and tuberculosis are coming back in new strains resistant

to treatment. At the same time new pathogens are arising. To cope

with this, medical laboratories will have to sacrifice billions

more animals for medical experimentation. What befalls other

creatures also befalls ourselves.

 

In the future, allergy specialists will have to study gene

behavior in order to treat new allergies, because genetic

engineering involves adding new proteins to artificially altered

food products. This can aggravate allergies since proteins cause

most allergies. We are becoming guinea pigs and without our

consent being herded into the giant laboratory of biotechnology.

 

Planetary Encroachment

 

Can we entrust our food supply and the future of the Earth to

those who have no respect or ethical consideration for the living

planet, who are motivated mainly by short term profits?

Bioengineering is promoted by a multibillion-dollar agribusiness,

which controls large segments of the world food supply. It is

spearheaded by scientists whose strange alchemical adventure

recognizes no species boundary; not even God can predict the

consequences. The potentials of bioengineering can become the

most dangerous device to destroy nature ever invented, worse in

the long run than nuclear weapons.

 

Why is our government so complacent about this important issue

and not keeping us properly informed? Because biotechnology

promises the security and abundance of our food supplies,

therefore more population growth. For the time being, we are

comforted by the deceptive appearance of affluence and continuous

economic growth. We can continue cluttering our environment,

encroaching into the wilderness, and trespassing territory that

naturally belongs to other creatures.

 

New technologies are erasing the most vital processes that human

beings need to form direct maternal bonding with nature. Human

beings, like other animals, need physical contact with nature, to

live and play with curiosity and humility, sharing nature's

offering and wisdom with other Earth residents. Modern men are

obsessed with power, possession, production, technological

efficiency and speed. Unlike ants and bees, which are at least

capable of living in altruistic cooperative societies, we

continue to operate out of our own self-interest only. As Daniel

Quinn wrote in his book, " Ishmael, " instead of being a " leaver "

on earth, we have become the only " taker. " The deterioration of

our sense of moral responsibility will only accelerate the

current ecological crisis.

 

All species and habitats are members of the bio-community. From

the daisies of the field to great whales in the ocean, from the

desert to the rainforest, each has its own intelligence,

personality, and consciousness, to evolve creatively with mutual

consent. Each has the right to be protected. Human beings as one

of these species are indeed out of control. This is evidenced by

the growing population explosion, the outbreak of new infectious

diseases, the accelerated crime rate, our exploitative economic

policies and the way each of us is destroying the planet as a

wasteful consumer. Millions of years of planetary evolutionary

efforts can become obsolete in a few decades. Sensitive species,

such as frogs in some areas in the United States, are already

displaying deformities owing to mutation caused by environmental

pollution. Though we have not figured out the mystery of the Big

Bang behind the existence of the universe, human history is

already entering into the second big bang, an explosion through

genetic engineering that promises to radically alter everything

that we know. The current measures we use to secure our own

species mean the end of nature. Without biodiversity the earth

cannot evolve and is doomed to decay.

 

Hope Against Hope

 

In this time of global crisis, each one of us needs to awaken a

new ethical vitality and put forth the energy and moral

responsibility that our planet desperately needs to resist the

forces of commercial exploitation. We need this for our own

sanity and meaningfulness, sacredness of the living Earth. The

survival of their future is our own survival. Without collective

effort, we will not be able to remedy the ill fate of the planet.

Instead of self-gratification, we all need to make some

sacrifices in order to give hope to other creatures. Bill

McKibben made a deeply moving and refreshing non-anthropocentric

statement in his book, The End Of Nature: " So I hope against

hope, Though not in our time, and not in the

time of our children, or their children, if we now, TODAY, limit

our numbers, our desires and our ambitions, perhaps nature could

someday resume its independent working. "

 

Since there is no regulation in labeling genetically engineered

products, we have no way to avoid them. Hence we must demand that

our government enforce strict regulation in labeling all

transgenic products. We can boycott processed food made by

genetic engineering, and begin to educate our communities about

this important issue. We should support local farmers by

purchasing locally grown, organic produce, and switch to an ECO-

VEGETARIAN DIET. As long as we breathe fresh air, eat food, and

enjoy the beauty of nature, we owe it to mother Earth and her

billions of years of sustainability.

 

References:

1. The Unholy Alliance. Dr. Mae-Wan Ho

2. Transgenic Transgression of Species Integrity and Species

Boundaries. Dr. Mae-Wan Ho

3. Why You Should Be Concerned With Genetically Engineered Food.

Dr. Ron Epstein

4. Algeny. Jeremy Rifkin

5. Beyound Beef. Jeremy Rifkin

6. The End Of Nature. Bill McKibben

7. The Population Explosion. Paul R. Ehrlich

8. The Unnatural Order. Tom Regan

9. How Are We To Live. Peter Singer

10. Earth and Other Ethics. Christopher D. Stone

 

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