May 17, 2013
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Should Human Genes be able to be Patented?
“On May 12, 2009, the ACLU and the Public Patent Foundation (PUBPAT) filed a lawsuit charging that patents on two human genes associated with breast and ovarian cancer, BRCA1 and BRCA2, are unconstitutional and invalid. On November 30, 2012, the Supreme Court agreed to hear argument on the patentability of human genes. The ACLU argued the case before the U.S. Supreme Court on April 15, 2013. We expect a decision this summer.”
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"Government is not reason, nor eloquence. It is force. And like fire, it is a dangerous servant and a fearsome master." -- George Washington
Comments (23)
Hmm. This is an ethically sticky issue for me. They did pay to do all the research and study, though. So part of me says they should be able to patent genes. They have to pay scientists and pay for equipment to develop things like this. That is all driven by money. If they can’t get the money for it, they won’t be able to hire anyone or be able to do the work in the first place.
We patent AIDS vaccines and other life saving medications. I suppose this is no different.
@firetyger - Read the article. The timing is uncanny.
No. Scientist that discover the function of a gene in humans should not have control over the type of research that can be done on or with that gene. It kind of limits progress as long as they can extend the patent. Progress on research that can be done on the human genome shouldn’t be subject to greed for power, fame, or money in the person that discovers the function of the gene. Treatment for breast cancer, or any other disease that are discovered because of knowledge about a gene are a completely different issue IMO.
@mtngirlsouth - I did read it. I still think that patents on genes are the same as patents on any other treatment or product though. Why should genetics be treated differently than any other patent?
I think that would be a great idea! That way I could finally patent my genes that way there is absolutely no way anyone could make child like I will be able to!
Actually, I think it’s quite messed up.
I agree with messed up. Genes are so complicated it takes a Creator to know all about them. To mess around with patents seems almost too audacious. Just a thought.
Kind of like Monsanto patenting round-up ready seed then not letting farmers keep their own plant seed. I highly recommend Michael Crichton ‘s book “NEXT.”
When I worked in the Agronomy Department there were many seed banks that universities had kept for decades that lost funding and simply closed, threw away decades of precariously, meticulously stored seed reserves from all varieties of crop seeds. That itself was a tragedy.
If you look at what happened when Big Agribusiness, it was a disaster. Nobody should have a patent on life.
I think having a patent on any part of the body would be wrong, because it could lead to the person doing strange things with your genes and creating a monster out of them. Or worse ye, not allowing your loved ones to bury you. Bro. Doc
If you’re interested in this topic you might be interested in reading “The Immortal life of Henrietta Lacks” by Rebecca Skloot. It’s about the immortal cell line that came from Henrietta Lacks’ cervical cancer cells and goes into the ethics of patents and HIPPA.
My creator holds the patent, and I’m not about to argue with my creator over intellectual rights of that creation. Sadly, there are some who believe they have unlocked the secrets, so now they have a claim to them. Tomb raiders did the same thing. Monsanto owns patents on their terminator seeds, but they’re an abomination, a perversion of creation. They didn’t even use their own ingredients, they only stole them from the already perfected creation.
@firetyger - Patents inhibit innovation more than promote it. Otherwise we’d all be afforded free energy devices and low effort, highly healthy living conditions. Patents, once promoted to protect independent innovators from greedy enterprises, are tools for enterprises to use to stifle independent innovation to keep their profit margins high enough to stay affloat. In their defense though, our economic system is based on fractionally reserved, unpayable debt. Our currency is backed by debt with interest (it cannot be paid back in full). Everyone’s livelihood depends on being greedy and stabbing others in the back; until they realize how not to participate in the system.
@jasonwl - What selfish people don’t realize, or don’t care about, is that they are born into the same social network as everyone else. It is not possible to step on any individual member without critical necessity and not degrade the integrity of the whole system.
I know how karma works. There’s nothing anyone can do to escape it if they keep being belligerent. It is possible to avoid the worst consequences. By just making an effort to be a good neighbor with those furthest from your perspective; which in reality you simply understand the least. Karma will bite you in the ass, hard, just for not forgiving your trespassers.
@jasonwl - The reason I still support patents is because no one wants to do all the work for free these days. It takes millions of dollars in investments to hire the scientists, buy the equipment, years to do the research, and most of those tests end in failures and money lost. Who is going to front millions of dollars, top of the line scientists, and equipment for free?
Science frustrating God’s creation blueprint for sure.
And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so. And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good. (Gen 1:11-12)
@firetyger - I’d agree – love of money pretty much explains this and so many other evils we see today
Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness: from such withdraw thyself. But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and raiment let us be therewith content. But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is the ROOT of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. (1Ti 6:5-10)
Peace to all reading
@firetyger - It’s all to control everything for the benefit of a very few. Learn from those who actually study and work directly with nature on ecology. GMO initiatives give no benefit but to the few who want to control everything. To favor any sort of strict corporate or government control system on the people is to shit in your childrens’ and grandchildren’s mouths and to dissolve their brains. Wall street elitists and federalized, and globalized (NATO, U.N., etc.) authority employees are haplessly happily marching in this direction. As are all of the employees of corporations doing such research and generating the technology to do so.
@firetyger - ”Top of the line” is subjective, and relative. Anybody who takes interest in a field of study will likely become “top of the line” in time. Think of dedicated independent researchers of the past. Nicola Tesla worked tirelessly on beneficial electromagnetic technology because he saw the benefit it offered to everyone. He wasn’t a paid employee of a major corporation. Look at all the pet projects all over the net today. Neither corporate nor government funding is necessary to advance any technology at neck breaking speeds. It only takes cooperation between people who have ideas or an interest in learning something relevant to a field of study. Anything too expensive for now automatically becomes less expensive over time. It only has to wait until an interested person, or group, finds a way to accomplish that can be afforded without steeling from others.
@jasonwl - I’m against GMOs and the lobbying for laws that Monsanto has done to create a monopoly on the seed market. But when it comes to developing something new, like these new genes that Sam brought up for cancer treatment, I understand why companies need to be able to turn a profit to make the research worth doing. Otherwise no one is going to do it. Obviously, there are right and wrong ways to go about patents. Monsanto is a great example of how not to do patents and shows that we need to define terms of patents more strictly so that a company can’t put people like farmers out of business and force them to throw away their seeds. But for newer technologies for sure, I still think we need to allow companies to patent their work. Otherwise nothing will ever get done because regular people can’t afford it and no company wants to take the loss and do the work for free.
@firetyger - It is already understood how to eliminate the threat of cancer. The whole point of the industry is to keep pharmaceutical companies’ profits soaring.
@jasonwl - Hmmm, I think you’d be right at home in one of our discussion groups.
@saturnnights - What group is that?
@jasonwl - Just a Tuesday night group that discusses a variety of stuff. Tesla was one topic. Energywork, pyramids, fractals, DNA, etc. You know, watercooler stuff. lol