ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the significance of ethics in biotechnology and describes ethical issues related to genetically modified food, plants, and animals. It explores ethical issues associated with animal testing and outlines ethical issues associated with xenotransplantation, human cloning, genetic screening, biometrics, organ transplantation, and embryonic stem cell research. The National Commission for the Protection of Human Subjects of Biomedical and Behavioral Research was initially established in 1974 to identify the basic ethical principles that should underlie the conduct of biomedical and behavioral research involving human subjects. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals is one group that has led the way in animal rights campaigns as well as spurring on the creation of many other groups. While there are numerous pros and cons of animal testing, the ethical aspect overshadows both of them, which means that emotion may be the ultimate determining factor in whether a person believes the benefits of animal testing outweigh the problems associated with the practice.
