by Guest Posts on 29 November 2009 by Cody Cobb
Before Thanksgiving break, my plant systematics professor told us that if we handed her a list of the scientific names of every plant species we consumed over the holidays we would get extra credit. I toyed with the idea of simply rewriting a recipe to include the latin names but considered that too easy. Instead, I’d have to go all out and write a full-on academic paper of my holiday experience. Since this would also be my first Thanksgiving away from home, I had cause to experiment. What follows, then, is my extra credit assignment:
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by Guest Posts on 10 November 2009 By Rob Hebert
Consumer advocacy groups are a strange animal. It seems that for every influential lobbying group with a senator’s ear, there are hundreds or thousands with only vague mission statements and no clear agenda for attaining their stated goals. I once spent a summer working for the latter type. A hallmark of this kind of crew is the use of the petition (bonus points if it’s online and has been circulating for more than a year). Issue-specific petitions almost never work when directed at agencies; they are often unsophisticated (in a legal sense) and rife with ambiguous language and emotional rhetoric. If I were more cynical, I might point out the possibility that many people in charge of these groups are aware of their petitions’ minuscule chances for success and instead use them to gin up controversy and interest in their cause, which is always a great way to get a few email addresses or financial contributions–some petitions even have a convenient donate button right next to where you “sign” your name!
 A quick google search for “gm labeling petition” pulls up, well, more petitions than I really care to count. Most make seemingly modest demands about the “right to know,” consumer education, and truth in advertising. Is that an accurate view of the debate: Consumer education versus corporate secrecy? Truth is, the legal reality is a little more complex than these petitions would seem to indicate. Below, I’ve written a short synopsis of the government’s current stance on GMO labeling. It’s written for people without any legal training, so it’s only a sketch. I’ve also listed a few helpful resources at the bottom for anyone who wants to dig a little deeper. This is exclusively about U.S. law, but in future posts, I’ll discuss recent developments in the biotech laws of Canada, the European Union, and Japan.
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by Guest Posts on 6 March 2009
By Melinda Yerka
This is a painting done by Sir Charles Bell in 1809 of a soldier dying of tetanus. Doesn’t look too comfortable, hmm? Tetanus is a condition brought on when certain bacteria, called Clostridium tetani, enter deep puncture wounds, such as the proverbial rusty nail, or in this soldier’s case, a dirty sword in battle. Once inside the wound, C. tetani bacteria produce the tetanus toxin, which then migrates to the body’s central nervous system where it causes tetanus disease, characterized by intense muscle spasms. 70% to 80% of the people who contract tetanus die. Unfortunately, many of these people today are newborn infants and their mothers. Infection by C. tetani bacteria occurs in these cases when unclean instruments are used to cut umbilical cords or remove a fetus from the mother’s womb during live birth or abortion. If the mother had been immunized against tetanus toxin, she and the infant (who would be born with some of its mother’s immunities) would have survived.
You may wonder why the mother was not immunized when vaccines against tetanus have been readily available for more than a generation. In fact, it is because vaccinations are far less prevalent in poor countries than in wealthier nations such as the United States and much of Europe. Furthermore, despite growing humanitarian interest in providing vaccines, the infrastructure of many developing nations is not sufficient to safely synthesize, transport, or store them. Lack of pharmaceutical companies, efficient transportation systems, refrigerated warehouses, and knowledgeable physicians all play a role in the continued fight against tetanus. Nevertheless, progress has been made since the early 1980′s, as depicted below in a graph from the World Health Organization (WHO).
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Precautionary Principles and the Cost of Caution
by Clark Wolf, Director of Bioethics, Iowa State University
She felt terrible, with a horrible pain in her gut that cut like a knife, and nausea and fever to match. Usually stoic in the face of pain, my daughter was doubled over and gasping.
When we took her to the hospital, the doctor took one look at her and immediately ordered a scan. Within hours she was in the operating room to have her ruptured appendix removed. After the operation, the surgeon showed us pictures of the process, including a glossy photo of the inflamed appendix and the staple he had used to close off the end from which it had been removed. Almost immediately after surgery, my daughter’s fever diminished. Her post-surgical pain was minimal compared to the searing pain that brought us to the hospital in the first place. As I write this, she is still in the hospital where she will remain for a few more days. But the crisis is over and there is improvement by the hour. By the time you read this, she will probably be home again in her own bed.
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