Democracy and Biotechnology
by Brandon Keim

For months, television commentators attempting to convey the
difficulties of the U.S. occupation of Iraq to audiences of limited
geographical acumen have compared Iraq in size to the state of California. Towards the end of summer, with most 'liberated' and 'democratized' Iraqis enduring privations and violence comparable in effect to their suffering under Saddam, and with the surreal spectacle of Arnold Schwarzenegger's candidacy having achieved legitimacy, the analogy was strangely resonant.

On the day after the California recall and election, with the disturbing
rictus used by Arnold to express emotion leering from the front page of every national newspaper, I was reminded of an argument I'd had with a friend this summer. As one expects from conversation held at the tail end of a humid and celebratory evening, most of the details are now hazy — but most of it had to do with the nature of democracy, which my friend defined as voting.

Subsequent events in California and Iraq have made vividly clear the old nostrum that voting is merely a democracy's most visible activity, and hardly a safeguard against its demise. Democracy requires government institutions capable of implementing the will of the people and their elected representatives; the transparency necessary to hold these institutions accountable; a free and accessible press unintimidated by power and unmotivated by profit; and, most importantly, informed citizens capable of critical thought, who sustain political debate and involvement at family and community levels. Without the latter, even a democratically elected government risks becoming little more than a shell, a tool for advancing interests which often oppose those of the public.

In the last issue of GeneWatch, we discussed conflicts of interest between academia and commercialism that have poisoned scientific endeavors and looked at a system established in Cambridge, Massachusetts to ensure public oversight of local biotechnology companies. In this issue, we expand further upon the theme of public participation in the life sciences.

Paul Billings provides a wide-ranging exploration of the choices with which developments in biotechnology are, or soon will be, confronting us — choices which need to be made both by individuals and the whole of society. His talk was originally delivered to the Cambridge Forum, a nationally syndicated public radio show. We also interview Michael Meacher, the United Kingdom's former Environmental Minister, who directed an unprecedented public debate about genetically modified (GM) foods as part of his government's forthcoming decision on whether to commercialize GM crops.

In September, after eleven years of contentious negotiations, the Cartagena Biosafety Protocol went into effect. A precedent-setting international agreement on monitoring the transfer of genetically modified organisms, the Protocol also provides third-world nations with protections against exploitation by transnational agricultural giants and free-trade pirates. Lara Freeman breaks down its complexities for us. Finally, Megan Romano evaluates biosynthetic human insulin, the first great 'success story' of biotechnology. Complications from this form of insulin endanger a significant minority of people with diabetes, and their efforts to acquire safer medications are hindered by federal agencies beholden more to the pharmaceutical industry than the people they should serve.

At no time in recent memory has the word 'democracy' been so ubiquitous in public pronouncements; but, as with any other word, its too-casual usage has diluted its strength, and the actual meaning of democracy is widely ignored at precisely the moment it is most frequently invoked. In the following pages you will find examples of the discourse required for a public to govern itself, in matters both general and regarding the life sciences; it is a discourse necessary not only to prevent the abuse of biotechnology, but to make it truly beneficial.

Editor’s Note: Many, many thanks to Nicole Magaline for her assistance in the production of this issue.