14.7 Ethics of Genetic Technologies

A free GCSE Biology lesson for AQA (8461) from OBA School: weighing up the benefits, risks and ethical issues of genetic engineering and cloning. Watch the video, read the explanation and worked examples, then try the revision questions. You can work through the full lesson, with every video, practice quizzes and printable worksheets with mark schemes, in our free online course.

What you will learn

• Tell the difference between a scientific question and an ethical question
• Explain the benefits and risks of genetic engineering in farming and medicine
• Explain the ethical issues raised by cloning
• Write a balanced evaluation with a justified conclusion, using data where given

Key words

• Ethics: Ideas about what is right or wrong. Ethical questions depend on people’s values, not only on evidence.
• Benefit: A good outcome of using a technology, e.g. higher crop yields.
• Risk: A possible harmful outcome, and how likely it is.
• Gene therapy: Treating an inherited disorder by adding a working copy of a gene to a person’s cells.
• Regulation: Laws and checks that control how a technology can be used, e.g. approval before a GM crop is grown.

Science questions and ethics questions

Science can tell us what a technology can do and what its effects are. It cannot decide on its own whether we should use it – that also depends on people’s values, beliefs and the needs of society.

• Does this GM maize give a higher yield in dry years?; Ethical question (answer with values) Is it right for one company to own the seeds farmers depend on?
• Can pollen carry the new gene to wild plants?; Ethical question (answer with values) Should we change the genes of living things at all?
• How many cloned embryos survive to birth?; Ethical question (answer with values) Is it acceptable to cause animal suffering to produce clones?

Genetic engineering in farming

• Higher yields from pest- or disease-resistant crops; Concerns Effects on wild flowers and insects, e.g. insects that are not pests
• Fewer insecticide sprays; Concerns Genes could spread to wild relatives (e.g. herbicide-resistant weeds)
• Crops that grow in drought or salty soil; Concerns Long-term effects of eating GM crops on human health not fully explored
• Added nutrients, e.g. vitamin A in rice; Concerns Farmers may depend on (and pay) large seed companies

Exam tip: "Not fully explored" means there is not yet enough long-term evidence. It does not mean GM food has been shown to be harmful.

Genetic technologies in medicine, and cloning

• GM bacteria make pure human insulin in large amounts, so there is no need to extract it from animals. Few people object to this.
• Gene therapy could treat inherited disorders such as cystic fibrosis. Concerns: side effects, high cost, and – if changes were made to eggs, sperm or embryos – changes passed to future generations and possible "designer babies".
• Cloning animals can copy valuable or GM animals and may help endangered species. Concerns: low success rate, animal welfare, loss of variation.
• Human reproductive cloning (making a cloned baby) is illegal in the UK. Many people believe it would be wrong for safety and ethical reasons.

Using data and writing an evaluation

Worked example: reading the survey

What percentage of the people said yes? 132 ÷ 400 × 100 = 33%
Write the ratio of "no" to "yes" in its simplest form. 188 : 132 = 47 : 33
Is this a good sample of UK opinion? Only 400 people in one town, so it may not represent the whole country.

Answer: 33% said yes; no : yes = 47 : 33

How to answer an "evaluate" question

1. Give benefits, with a reason for each.

2. Give risks or concerns, including ethical issues.

3. Use any data in the question.

4. Finish with a conclusion that says which side is stronger and why.

Common mistakes

• Writing only one side of the argument. "Evaluate" always needs both sides and a conclusion.
• Stating opinions as facts, e.g. "GM food is poisonous". Say what the evidence shows.
• Mixing up cloning (making identical copies) with genetic engineering (adding a new gene).
• Saying science alone can decide whether a technology should be used.

Revision questions

Try these, then check your answers below each one.

Question 1. Which of these is an ethical question rather than a scientific one? (Choose from: Should people be allowed to clone their pets?, Does GM maize produce more grain?, Can pollen carry a gene to wild plants?, How many cloned embryos survive to birth?.)

Answer: Should people be allowed to clone their pets?

Working: Questions with "should" depend on values. The others can be answered by collecting evidence.

Question 2. True or false? Saying the effects of GM food on health are “not fully explored” means GM food has been proven harmful.

Answer: False

Working: False. It means there is not yet enough long-term evidence either way.

Question 3. What is an advantage of making insulin with GM bacteria rather than extracting it from pigs? (Choose from: Large amounts of pure human insulin can be made, More animals are needed, The insulin is not a protein, It cures diabetes permanently.)

Answer: Large amounts of pure human insulin can be made

Working: GM bacteria make large amounts of pure human insulin without using animals. Insulin treats diabetes but does not cure it.

Related lessons

• Previous lesson: 14.6 Adult Cell Cloning
• Next lesson: 15.1 The History of Genetics
• In this chapter: 14.1 Variation
• In this chapter: 14.2 Evolution by Natural Selection
• In this chapter: 14.3 Selective Breeding

Continue in the full course

This lesson is section 14.7 (AGCBH1407) of our free GCSE Biology course for AQA. In the full course you get every video for this section, a self-marking practice quiz, a printable worksheet with a mark scheme, chapter tests, and your progress saved. Go to the full GCSE Biology course.