Grande
21-01-2004, 20:46
Please read this proposal submitted through me but created by 'The Community of Conceptualists'.
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Description: This proposal was created by 'The Community of Conceptualists'.
The patenting laws were originally set up to protect the rights of the inventor. Today when a gene is discovered (usually by a big pharmacuticals company) it is patented. Around 1/3 of the human genome have to date been patented, almost exclusively by three big companies. Which means that 1/3 of your body is owned by companies, which is scary.
Scientific objections to gene patenting:
It set up a chilling secrecy in a world where openess is needed (research). Research has almost retarded in many fields of biochemistry and medcine because of the patents, if an already patented gene is accidently discovered by another laboritory, they cannot use it and must pretend they never found it.
It is beginning to make cancer screenings prohibitively expensive. When a company patents a gene that when mutated causes cancer, they own the rights to test for it. Therefore all tests must go to the companies laboratories for the test. This means the company can charge what it wants.
Gene therapy will become a near monopoly, with a few companies holding the right to life for many people.
Other arguments:
Companies will begin owning what is human, a power they can use and abuse however they see fit.
Genes are discovered not inventions, so should not be allowed to be patented. Everyone who has done any basic biology knows that genes are inheirated from our parents, so have existed for all of humanity.
This resolution will ban gene patenting by anyone. Research will become the open field it needs to be. It will mean many potentially life saving techniques will not be too expensive that only the wealthiest can afford them. It also means we will own our own bodies.
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Description: This proposal was created by 'The Community of Conceptualists'.
The patenting laws were originally set up to protect the rights of the inventor. Today when a gene is discovered (usually by a big pharmacuticals company) it is patented. Around 1/3 of the human genome have to date been patented, almost exclusively by three big companies. Which means that 1/3 of your body is owned by companies, which is scary.
Scientific objections to gene patenting:
It set up a chilling secrecy in a world where openess is needed (research). Research has almost retarded in many fields of biochemistry and medcine because of the patents, if an already patented gene is accidently discovered by another laboritory, they cannot use it and must pretend they never found it.
It is beginning to make cancer screenings prohibitively expensive. When a company patents a gene that when mutated causes cancer, they own the rights to test for it. Therefore all tests must go to the companies laboratories for the test. This means the company can charge what it wants.
Gene therapy will become a near monopoly, with a few companies holding the right to life for many people.
Other arguments:
Companies will begin owning what is human, a power they can use and abuse however they see fit.
Genes are discovered not inventions, so should not be allowed to be patented. Everyone who has done any basic biology knows that genes are inheirated from our parents, so have existed for all of humanity.
This resolution will ban gene patenting by anyone. Research will become the open field it needs to be. It will mean many potentially life saving techniques will not be too expensive that only the wealthiest can afford them. It also means we will own our own bodies.