Posted by Kromey at 2:38am May 14 '09What would you say if I told you that 20% of your body belonged to private companies and corporations? I'm not talking about your implants or your makeup or your pharmaceuticals - I'm talking about your naked body, the one your momma gave you.
You'd probably tell me I was crazy.
Well, in point of fact, it's the good ol' American patent system, at it again! Roughly 20% of the human genome is patented. The good news is two-fold: first, that number will never grow higher, because thanks to the Human Genome Project the entire human genetic structure is documented and in the public domain - it cannot be patented; second, gene patents have a relatively short lifespan of 20 years, to patents on little things that the genes associated with Alzheimer's won't remain private property for much longer.
Fortunately, the ACLU is trying to do something about it. They picked one case in particular, but are challenging the entire system of gene patents with this case. The CNN article below talks all about the ethics of gene patents - calling our genetic code "sacred" - but doesn't touch on something that seems blatantly obvious to me: genes are not an invention!
See, there's an important thing about patents: they are issued for inventions. Seeing as the majority of this country believes in the Judeo-Christian God who created man, should He be the one getting the patents on these genes? And if you don't accept the existence of God, then you have to accept that genes are naturally-occurring, and therefore non-patentable. This practice of mapping and then patenting a gene is completely ludicrous - it's akin to me going outside, finding a rock composed of an undiscovered mineral, and patenting that!
Now, if companies want to create screening tests based upon these genes and patent those (the tests, not the genes), I have no problem with that - that's what patents were designed for. But to say that you own a chunk of my own flesh and blood? No, that crosses over into the realm of utter stupidity.
You'd probably tell me I was crazy.
Well, in point of fact, it's the good ol' American patent system, at it again! Roughly 20% of the human genome is patented. The good news is two-fold: first, that number will never grow higher, because thanks to the Human Genome Project the entire human genetic structure is documented and in the public domain - it cannot be patented; second, gene patents have a relatively short lifespan of 20 years, to patents on little things that the genes associated with Alzheimer's won't remain private property for much longer.
Fortunately, the ACLU is trying to do something about it. They picked one case in particular, but are challenging the entire system of gene patents with this case. The CNN article below talks all about the ethics of gene patents - calling our genetic code "sacred" - but doesn't touch on something that seems blatantly obvious to me: genes are not an invention!
See, there's an important thing about patents: they are issued for inventions. Seeing as the majority of this country believes in the Judeo-Christian God who created man, should He be the one getting the patents on these genes? And if you don't accept the existence of God, then you have to accept that genes are naturally-occurring, and therefore non-patentable. This practice of mapping and then patenting a gene is completely ludicrous - it's akin to me going outside, finding a rock composed of an undiscovered mineral, and patenting that!
Now, if companies want to create screening tests based upon these genes and patent those (the tests, not the genes), I have no problem with that - that's what patents were designed for. But to say that you own a chunk of my own flesh and blood? No, that crosses over into the realm of utter stupidity.