Research ethics

Extract

It is probably true that most of the general public would confess to a general lack of understanding of biotechnology, and many would not be clear as to what techniques are included in the term. This is unfortunate as it means that they also do not have a good understanding of the methods by which their food is produced, and of the ethical principles involved. There is therefore a good argument that to improve the standards of decision making in this area there should be more education. This volume contains papers presented at a conference organized by Norwegian and Swedish ethical organizations. The conference brought together scientists and participants from non-governmental organizations (NGOs). None of the discussions are reported but the editors do provide a summary of the conference, from which it is clear that there was some polarization of opinion between the scientists and the NGOs.