Abstract

BIOETHICS: A REVIEW

Pushpa C. Tomar*, Tanya Kalra and Harisha Kohli

Abstract

Development and application of biotechnology raises ethical questions, some of which are serious enough to generate significant opposition from the consuming public to certain technologies and their applications. The purpose of this section is merely to bring light on certain issues related to GMOs (successful or unsuccessful), ongoing debate on ethics and social concerns. Nonetheless, this study indicates that researchers who need to understand risk perception of agricultural biotechnology in the developing world should exercise caution when using morality as a theoretical ‗‗prism.‘‘ Dictionary based definitions will now be presented to help the reader put the subject anti proper perspective. Ethics is the science of morals in human conduct (i.e. the study of moral principles). Morals are concerned with the accepted rules and standards of human behavior in a society. It involves the concept of right or wrong, the goodness or badness of human character or behavior. Value is basically the worth attach to something. In other words ethics is evaluative of the decisions people make and the actions they take as they are presented with dilemmas. Morality depends on values in order to determine the goodness or badness of an action. In a pluralistic society there are differences in the sense of values (i.e. relativism). Consequently, there is a variety of moral theories that do not necessarily constitute truth. Furthermore, law, religion and customs should be distinguished from morality in law; lawmakers define what is right or wrong. Those who break law are subject to punishment prescribed by legislature, in religion right or wrong are based on revelation or scriptural authority.

Keywords: Bioethics, Biotechnology, Morals, Issues.