EDST 391 Ethics & the Human Genome

Name:
Date:
"Calendar"

Required reading:

• Zerbe, N. (2004). Feeding the famine? American food aid and the GMO debate in Southern Africa: Viewpoint, Food Policy, 29, 593-608. NOTE: The conclusion is NOT included.
• This article discusses the 2002 food crisis in Africa. We have assigned (and uploaded) only part of this article (through page 605). We will discuss the conclusion in class.

1. Imagine you are a leader in one of these African countries and are familiar with the information in the reading. How would you handle this crisis?
   • Would you accept US aid of GMO maize as famine relief?
   • Why or why not accept it? Consider the effects of your choice on every aspect of your country.
   • And, specifically, do you think your country's long-term economic health outweighs the current suffering of your population?

2. Imagine now that you are part of the American government.
   • How would you deal with a oountry's refusal to accept GMO maize?

• Please use the methods for identifying and analyzing ethical arguments that were discussed in Case studies in biomedical ethics (Day 15) when you answer the two questions below.
  1. What ethical arguments and claims does this article make?
  2. Is the author objective on the matter he discusses? For instance, does use any words and/or phrases that reveal a particular ethical stance on the US sending GMF foods as foreign aid?

• There will be a short quiz at the beginning of class.