Genetic Engineering
 The
following information has been taken from information provided by
G.E.C.K.O. (Genetic Engineering Concerning Kids Opinions), written
in October 2000 by Narnia Kittel happygecko@paradise.net.nz
This information does not necessarily
represent the views of the Royal Forest and Bird Protection Society
of New Zealand, which is the parent organisation of the Kiwi Conservation
Club.
We hope this information will help
children understand the complex issues around genetic engineering.
CONTENTS
What is Genetic Engineering?
- Genes
- G.E.
Different opinions people have about GE
- Feelings and beliefs
- Animals and the environment
-Food
- Human health
- Science
- Money
- Laws and rules
How can I find out more?
- Books
- Magazine
- People and groups
What Is Genetic
Engineering?
Genes
All living things ( like plants, mammals, insects, fish, people,
bacteria, and microbes ) are called organisms. They are all made
up of tiny little cells. Inside each cell, there are chromosomes.
Chromosomes are made up of sequences of DNA that are called genes.
DNA stands for deoxyribonucleic acid, and it is a bit like a little
alphabet that has only four letters: A,G,C,and T. (Adenine, Guanine,
Cytosine, and Thymine). So a gene is like a word made up of these
four letters; a chromosome is like a sentence made up of gene-‘words’;
and a cell is like a paragraph made up of chromosome-‘sentences’.
Genes tell cells what to do. They make living things big or small;
they tell them what colour to be; they tell food if it should be
sweet or sour. Genes are like recipes or instructions that tell
a thing how to be. Your genes come from your parents.
G.E.
Genetic Engineering is also called Genetic Modification. It means
adding or taking away part of a chromosome (which is like changing
a few words in a sentence). Scientists can use chemicals to cut
out bits of DNA and swap them with genes from other organisms, to
make a GE cell.
But because genetic engineering is a very difficult science, promoter
genes from viruses and bacteria are also added to the DNA, to help
‘switch on’ the new gene’s instructions. Marker genes
are put in too. They work like shields, to protect the engineered
genes from the poisons (antibiotics) that scientists use to test
them.
So by engineering genes, scientists can put some of an organisms’
instructions into other living things. Overseas they have put the
genes that stop cold-water fish from freezing to death, into warm-weather
plants’ cells to make new plants with fruits and vegetables
that can be grown in very cold places. They have put toad and silkworm
genes into potatoes to try to stop them rotting. Bacteria genes
have been put into corn to kill insects. Human genes have been put
into cows to try and make GE milk. Genetic engineering has also
been tried with trees, medicines, animals, and some plants that
are used to make fabric.
Some scientists say GE is really useful. But other scientists say
that only a very little bit is known about DNA and genes, and that
GE mistakes can’t be fixed so GE is very dangerous. You can’t
always be sure how genetic engineering will turn out. It could make
useful new organisms, or it could make new poisons and diseases
that will hurt plants, people, or other animals. This may happen
straight away, or take a long time and last forever.
So far in New Zealand research has been done with GE apples, potatoes,
kiwifruit, and tamarillo. Trials have to be done with special permission,
in a closed place, because of the things that might go wrong. GE
plants have to be covered because they might be poisonous to insects
and birds ( and the animals that eat them), or their pollen might
harm other plants.
Some New Zealanders think that GE is a great idea because they
want to change the foods, medicines, and crops we already have.
Some New Zealanders say they don’t mind the GE food that is
already in our supermarkets. (The soy, corn, canola, and cottonseed
that are used in some brands of cereal, biscuits, margarine, oil,
and processed foods). They say it’s fine to have GE food, but
it should be labelled, so people can choose whether or not to buy
it.
Some New Zealanders don’t want any genetic engineering or
GE organisms to be allowed in our country. They say the big companies
that own the information about genes are lying about GE being safe
just to make lots of money, and that they don’t care if people,
animals, or the environment get hurt.
But you can’t be GE-free if your neighbour has GE organisms,
because the genes can spread, like the germs spread when you catch
a cold from someone.
Different
Opinions People Have About GE
Feelings and beliefs
- "Humans are the cleverest animal, so they should be allowed
to change other animals and plants"
- "My religion says that everything was made perfectly, so
we shouldn’t use GE to change things"
- "Putting animal genes onto vegetables is wrong"
- "Breeding GE animals to make human body parts is wrong. It’s
mean"
- "GE will change living things’ whakapapa. Will it also
change their spirits, or their feelings?"
Animals and the environment
- "When bees spread GE-pollen to other plants, it changes those
plants’ genes too. So soon we’ll have no GE-free plants
at all"
- "GE could make wonderful new animals and plants"
- "GE could make our native species extinct "
- "They can make GE plants that are poisonous to insects, so
we won’t have to worry about caterpillars eating our vegies
any more"
- "GE plants that kill bad insects will kill good insects too"
- "Even after GE plants are pulled out of the ground, the soil
is still contaminated"
- "If my dog eats a bug that’s eaten a GE plant, will
my dog die?"
- "GE can make new plants that will be able to live in different
climates"
- "GE would ruin N.Z.’s ‘clean green’ image"
- "Rain will wash tiny GE organisms from land into rivers.
Will it do anything to the fish?’
Food
- "GE food will be bigger and yummier"
- "I’m vegetarian. I don’t want to eat vegies with
animal genes in them"
- "With GE, there will be plenty of food to feed all the starving
people"
- "If N.Z. grows GE food, the pollen will be spread to other
plants by wind and insects, so we won’t have organic food any
more"
- "I’m very allergic to nuts. Will I die if I eat GE food
with nut-genes in it?"
Human health
- "GE medicines will be able to cure lots of diseases"
- "GE foods and medicines might have dangerous side effects,
or they might react with other medicines"
- "GE might accidentally make new diseases and germs. Or it
might make us catch diseases from other species"
- "People already use GE insulin and vaccinations, and they
like it"
- "GE medicine would be good, but only rich people would be
able to afford it"
- "I like using homeopathic medicines, but if we have GE in
our environment it will change the mauri of the herbs, so there
will be no more homeopathics"
- "Having GE vitamins put into foods would be good, but would
I get sick if I ate too much vitamin-enhanced food?"
- "If I am around GE organisms, it might not effect me straight
away, But if I have children and grandchildren, their genes might
be effected by it"
Science
- "Scientists don’t know enough about genes yet. They
should do more research before they try to sell us GE organisms"
- "How will using GE effect my body?"
- "GE is just like other types of breeding, but instead of
crossing a labrador with a poodle, we can now cross it with a potato"
- "I’m a scientist and I think GE is too dangerous"
- "I’m a scientist and I think GE is wonderful"
- "We’ve grown some GE flowers in a laboratory, but they
might turn out differently outside because of the environmental
factors"
Money
- "New Zealand will miss out on making money if they don’t
use GE"
- "The companies who own the GE seeds and genetic information
will get rich, but GE won’t really help anyone else" -
- "Who should pay for GE research?"
- "The GE companies pay scientists and the media to say that
GE is good"
- "With GE we will make cheaper foods and medicines"
- "Even if they have lots of money, the GE companies won’t
be able to fix GE mistakes that hurt people or animals, or our environment"
- "I used to save seeds each season so I could plant them the
next year, but my boss wants me to grow crops from sterile GE seeds.
I’m only a poor farmer and I can’t afford to but new seeds
each year"
- "If N.Z. stays GE-free, we can make lots of money selling
organic food overseas"
Laws and rules
- "Lots of tests should be done on all GE organisms to make
sure they’re safe"
- "The people who make money from GE should have to fix any
mistakes they make"
- "If companies want to sell foods with GE ingredients, they
must label them so we know exactly what is in them"
- "If N.Z. is going to be totally GE-free, quarantine staff
will have to search everyone who arrives at our airports to make
sure they don’t have any GE organisms with them"
- "GE medicines have to be labelled so doctors can warn their
patients about possible risks"
- "The Treaty of Waitangi says that N.Z. has to look after
Maori traditions – like having a GE-free environment"
How Can I Find
Out More?
There are lots of books, magazines, videos, and websites about
GE.
Books
*Eating Safely in a Toxic World by Sue Kedgley (Published in 1998
by Penguin, N.Z.)
*Genetic Engineering by Jenny Bryan (Published in 1995 by Wayland,
England)
*Genetic Engineering, Food and the Environment by Luke Anderson
(Published in 1999 by Chelsea Green, USA)
*GM Foods – the Facts and the Fiction by Maria Elena Hurtado
(Published in 2000 by Consumers International, U.K.)
*Moral Dilemmas – Genetic Engineering by Sally Morgan (Published
in 1998 by Evans Brothers, London)
Magazines
Growing Today
Healthy Options
Organic NZ (Magazine of the Soil and Health Association)
The Ecologist
The New Zealand Vegetarian
And have a look in newspapers too.
People and groups
*ERMA New Zealand, P.O. Box 131 Wellington, NZ; www.ermanz.govt.nz
*Forest and Bird. PO Box 631, Wellington. Website www.forestandbird.org.nz
*GE Free Communities, P.O. Box 300 094, Albany, Auckland, NZ
*Royal Commission on Genetic Modification, P.O. Box 3554, The Terrace,
Wellington, NZ; www.gmcommission.govt.nz
*Safe Food Campaign, P.O. Box 9206, Wellington, NZ (Phone 04 4768607)
*The Green Party, P.O. Box 11 652, Wellington, NZ; www.greens.org.nz
|
