IMPACT ISSUES REFERENCES ENTERTAINMENT*
Ethical
I have already mentioned that mice are used in testing the abilities of a cancer drug. Scientists test potential drugs in vivo by injecting mice with human tumors. The mice are then treated with the drug and observed for any signs that the drug works over a few days. Some believe that injecting the mice could be considered animal cruelty, especially in cases where the drug fails to be approved. Most cancer drugs fail to be approved. Are the mice�s lives worth taking when most cancer drugs are expected to fail? Well, it depends on what your circumstances are. If you are being treated for cancer or a scientist researching a cancer drug, then you would probably say that the mice are necessary to save lives. If you are an animal rights activist, then you would probably be against injecting mice.
Now only are mice used to test drugs, but the next batch of test subjects are HUMANS! Scientists must recruit a variety of patients to test the potential cancer drug. This includes a variety of races, gender, age, weight, and so on. A wide range of recruits are needed to study how the drug�s efficacy varies among different people.
Another ethical issue involves the studying of a human�s genes or other bodily samples to target the best treatment. The discovery of the Human Genome Code has led scientists to study human genes and other samples in researching cancer and other diseases and the possible treatments. Most scientists prefer to get past testing and screenings as quickly as possible. How the scientists go about finding volunteers whose genes will be studied is considered an ethical issue.
Legal
Legal issues include the many lawsuits that are expected if a cancer drug is approved and later shows dangerous flaws. Researching and developing drugs comes with a very expensive bill. If the cancer drug ends in failure, a lot of money does down the drain as well. Lawsuits are inevitable, in cases where the drug is approved and later shows flaws or where the drug fails altogether.
Scientists, the Government, and Biotechnology
Scientists have an obligation to the community to be completely honest and thorough in their research. If something is not right, they shouldn�t pretend that everything is still okay. In my opinion, the government does not have an obligation to support biotech research. Biotech research is an independent industry. Competition itself supports biotech research. The only obligation government has to biotech research is to create, enforce, and interpret law on it.