Gene Patenting
... openness and collegiality gave way to non-disclosure agreements and material transfer licenses.”(Robert Lee Holtz, from “Falling From Grace: Science and the Pursuit of Profit”) There is some proof that “…patent holders tend not to enforce their rights against basic scientific uses…” (Jack Wilson “Patenting Organisms: Intellectual Property Law Meets Biology” in Who Owns Life?) But with so many universities applying for patents, research by other organizations, even true research, can be seen as competition. Because gene patents can severely hinder scientific research, they should not be allowed under any circumstances. “One of the controversies surrounding issuance of patents covering naturally occurring mutations, the occurrence of which correlates with an increased risk of developing disease, is the belief that they will be used to prevent doctors from practicing medicine. Some fear that patents on fragments of DNA might also impede basic research due to complicated webs.”(Rochelle K. Seide and Carmella L. Stephens, from “Ethical Issues and Application of Patent Laws in Biotechnology”) That statement is also linked with the fact that the issuing of gene patents would in a way hinder “pure” scientific research. Medicine is science, which is one reason why patents would hinder scientific research. Not only could patents keep doctors from practicing medicine, but they can also increase the cost of healthcare. “The Industrial Biotechnology Association (IBA), which represented 125 larger companies, including 80% of U.S. investment in biotechnology, suggested that issuing the National Institutes of Health (NIH) patents would increase costs of product development as well as risks of future patent infringement litigation.”(Ari Berkowitz, from “Patenting Human Genes The Advent of Ethics in the Political Economy of Patent Law”) Because gene patents can increase the costs of healthcare and ruin jobs for doctors, they should not be allowed to be processed under any circumstances. One major way that patents can affect society, is by hitting the streets. The black market has played a major role in medicine and biology over the past few years. The black market in tissue has multiple impacts. The stealing of tissue can create extreme problems for the original holder of the tissue. For instance, “If not prevented, theft of tissue can create emotional, social, and financial problems for the tissue source. Personal and social views of the body can serve certain functions for individuals and their communities. A person’s control over what is done to his or her body, or i...