Greens Called To Reinstate Toi Te Taiao -The Bioethics Council | Scoop News – Scoop

Saturday, 23 July 2022, 1:12 pmPress Release: GE Free NZ

The Green Party are being called on to support a new ToiTe Taiao with an expanded role to include other emergingtechnologies; Synthetic Biology, Artificial Intelligence,Nano-technology and Geo-engineering.

In an open letterto Green Party members and MPs, former Green Party co-leaderJeanette Fitzsimons is acknowledged for her work in policydevelopment that ensures robust regulation of GeneticEngineering in Aotearoa. [1]

Jeanette advocated forThe Royal Commission on Genetic Modification which led toToi Te Taiao - The Bioethics Council beingestablished.

Toi Te Taiao was tasked with helpingAotearoa navigate the ethical issues of Genetic Engineering,including the use of human genes, but their work ended whenToi Te Taiao was abolished. [2]

Today a new TechnologyEthics Council is needed to navigate the challenges ofinnovation including 'easy, cheap' Gene Editing, SyntheticBiology, Nanotechnology, Artificial Intelligence andGeo-Engineering.

These require deep and ongoingengagement of the public. The abolition of Toi Te Taiaodeprived us of a source of collective wisdom and authenticengagement with tangata whenua and civil society, saidJon Carapiet. spokesman for GE-Free NZ.

Anotherrecommendation of The Royal Commission on GeneticModification was that farm animals should not be GeneticallyEngineered as 'bioreactors' for bulk production ofpharmaceuticals. But the recent call by the ProductivityCommission for deregulation opens up the potential forunacceptable cruelty to animals from GE already seen inAgResearch experiments. [3]

When Jeanette startedher work, it was in the knowledge that commercial interestswere already keen to commercialise these powerful emergingtechnologies, said Jon Carapiet.

To maintainpublic trust an independent body, such as Toi Te Taiao, isneeded to balance the voices of vested interests in bothindustry and academia.

Strict liability is alsoneeded to reign in the appetite for risk that is prevalentin the biotechnology and innovation sectors, driven byIntellectual Property not the public interest.

Astechnologies challenge the integrity of Natural systems andhumanity itself a Technology Ethics Council is needed toguide how society manages risk while navigatingopportunities and regulation in the publicinterest.

Medical use of GE in humans show benefitsand there is a review of settings for regulation inbiomedicine. But the prospect of human Genetic Engineeringalso brings the threat of Eugenics to humanity, including tothe LGBTQIA+ rainbow and disability communities, which mustbe addressed.

These are complex and ongoing issues tonavigate. Having an independent and ethical compass to guideus is vital.

[1] Open Letter to the Green Party The Bioethics Council[2] https://pep.org.nz/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/human-genes.pdf

[3]https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/mutant-cows-die-in-gm-trial/UNAM73ED3VXZJFX7MXU7VYAZ74/

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Greens Called To Reinstate Toi Te Taiao -The Bioethics Council | Scoop News - Scoop