Question

What are some ethical, social, and legal impacts with pharmaceuticals, DNA analysis, and agricultural biotechnology?

Answer 1

Ethical, social, legal impacts of-

1. Pharmaceuticals:

• New drug with new regime may result in genetically altered pathogen may evolve which is unknown and may impose threat to cause unknown disease.
• Improper use of a new drug may lead to unlisted adverse drug reactions. This leads to both health hazard and legal implication.
• Clinical trials conducted after a new drug discovery, may pose ethical and legal protests.
• Improper use of pharmaceutical products may lead to generation of resistant strains or super bugs.

2. DNA analysis

• The analysis may create anxiety in the individual to be tested and family members, during conducting or after detection.
• The limitations of the analysis methods may not assure the future occurrence of the disease or degree of severity of the disease.
• Some people are concerned about the privacy of the information obtained. Example, testing of fetus or infants may pose disadvantages in future life. Thus, informed consent should be deduced before conducting the tests. This leads to legal steps.
• Social acceptance among family, friends, and work environment may alter after the DNA analysis tests, causing emotional, and other stress factors.
• The tests might be costly and use up the insurance, causing financial crisis.

3. Agricultural Biotechnology

• The cost of production, advanced technologies, complexities associated may be comprehendible only for large scale or sophisticated producers and may be tailored only for specific agricultural sectors. Thus, may nor benefit regular or poor-resourced farmers.
• Biotechnologically engineered seed industries create a market monopoly and constrains and curbs variety in the market. Only few varieties of such seeds or crops are accepted or popular in market.
• Patent requirement, sanction for the methods required, which may be difficult in many situations.
• There is controversies regarding GM (genetically modified) crops, hybrid seeds. Like allergies caused by certain GM maize.
• These advanced technologies are very expensive and are not available with limited funds. Also, the technologies are difficult to use, and requires time knowledge to use certain advanced technologies