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Biotech Revolution - Attitudes & Fears
Bio-Tech Home | 1970 | 1980 | 1990+ | Attitudes & Fears | News
Attitudes and fears...
The 1970s - the fear begins
The beginning of the biotechnology revolution in the 1970s sparked fear in the community. Scientists realized the potential dangers of their experiments and not only stopped some of their research but also held a conference to discuss the wider implications. Community fears led to the mayor of Cambridge in Massachusetts, USA, instigating a law to stop local scientists doing genetic research.
The 1980s - the anti-biotech movement
The anti-biotechnology movement took off in the 1980s and was led by Jeremy Rifkin. Rifkin raised ethical issues relating to biotechnology and increased community awareness of the potential dangers of GM organisms. People were concerned about the implications of the Human Genome Project and worried about the safety of GM food.
In the 1990s - Ethical issues
The cloning of Dolly led to fears that humans would also be cloned and scientists would create designer babies. The ethics of harvesting human embryos was intensely debated in parliament and the community. In 2002 politicians voted to allow stem cell research to continue and Prime Minister John Howard, announced funding for a new Centre for Stem Cell and Tissue Repair.
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