chapter 13 
Genetics and Society 
Genetics and modern science 
In 1979, tlie Oi'ganization tor Kronomic C'oop- 
eration aiul Hex elopnient (OK('n)* published a 
sur\ py of mec'hanisms for settling issues im ol\ - 
ing scienee and tec'hnologx- in its member coun- 
tries.' rbe ()K(d3 report noted tliat:- 
Science and technologx’ . . . ha\ e a nunilier of 
distinguishing characteristics w hich cause spe- 
cial problems or complications. One is ubiciuity: 
they are ex eryu here. They are at the forefront 
of social change. I hey not only ser\ e as agents 
of change, hut pro\ ide the tools for analyzing 
social change. They pose, therefore, special 
challenges to any society seeking to shape its 
o\\ n future and not iust to react to change or to 
the sometimes undesired effects of change. 
■After surxeying member countries, OECD 
identified si.x factors that distinguish issues in 
science and technologx from other public con- 
tro\ ersies. 
1. The rapidity of change in science and tech- 
nology often leads to concern. The science 
of genetics is one of the most rapidiv ex- 
panding areas of human know ledge in the 
world today. And the technology of genetics 
is causing quick and fundamental changes 
on a \ariety of fronts. The news media 
ha\e consistently reported dexelopments 
in genetics, often with front-page stories. 
Consequently, the public has become in- 
creasingly aware of dex elopments in genet- 
ics and genetic technologies and the speed 
with which knowledge in the field is gath- 
ered and applied. 
2. Many issues in today’s science and technol- 
og}’ are entirely new. Protoplast fusion, re- 
‘The members of OECD are: .Australia, .Austria, Belgium, 
Canada. Denmark. Finland, France, West Germany, Greece, Ice- 
land. Ii'eland, Italy. Japan. Lu.xembourg. the Netherlands, New 
Zealand, Norwav. Portugal, Spain, Sweden. Switzerland, Turkey, 
the United Kingdom, and the United States. 
'Guild K. .Nichols, Technology on Trial: Public Participation in De- 
cision-Making Related to Science and Technology (Paris: Organiza- 
tion for Economic Cooperation and Dex elopment. 1979). 
-Ihid.. p. 16. 
comhinant DNA (rDNA), gene synthesis, 
chimeras, fertilization of mammalian em- 
hryos in \ itro, and the successful introduc- 
tion of foreign genes into mammals were 
the subjects of science fiction until a few 
years ago. Now they appear in newspapers 
and popular magazines. Yet the general 
public’s understanding of these phenom- 
ena is limited. It is difficult for people to 
exaluate competing claims about the dan- 
gers and benefits of this new' technology. 
3. The scale, complexity, and interdependence 
among the technologies are greater than 
people suspect. As in other fields, applica- 
tions of biological technology often depend 
on parallel dex elopments in areas that pro- 
\ ide critical support systems. Breakdowns 
in these systems are often as limiting as fail- 
ures in the new technology itself. In other 
parts of this report for example, sophis- 
ticated breeding systems in farm animals 
and large-scale fermentation processes for 
single-cell cultures are described. Besides 
the biological technology required to sup- 
port these systems, precise computerized 
operations are required to ensure purity, 
safety, and process control in fermentation 
and to prox'ide the population statistics 
necessary for breeding decisions. 
4. Some scientific and technological achieve- 
ments may be irreversible in their effects. 
Because living organisms reproduce, some 
fear that it will be impossible to contain 
and control a genetically altered organism 
that finds its way into the environment and 
produces undesirable effects. Scenarios of 
escaping organisms, pandemics, and care- 
less researchers are often draw,m by critics 
of today’s genetics research. The intention- 
al release of recombinant organisms into 
the environment is a related issue that will 
need to be resolved in the future. 
Another example of irreversibility, 
brought about by the demands placed on 
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