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VATICAN
CITY, NOV. 13, 2000 (ZENIT.org).- The question of genetically
modified foods and their
ethical repercussions has become the focus of a
study by the Pontifical
Academy for Life, a Vatican institution established
by John Paul II.
The results of this study were published in 1999 in a book,
written in
Italian, entitled
"Animal and Vegetable Biotechnology: New Frontiers and
New Responsibilities"
("Biotecnologie animali e vegetali, nuove frontiere e
nuove responsabilità").
The book was written by several authors and
published by the Vatican
Press.
One of the authors is Giuseppe Bertoni, professor at the
Zootechnical
Institute of the Faculty
of Agriculture of the Catholic University of the
Sacred Heart of Piacenza.
In statements to ZENIT, Bertoni criticized "the
catastrophic sensationalism
with which the press has
handled biotechnology." In particular, he rejected
"the idea of seeing
scientific progress as something to fear."
"It is true that ethical
limits must be observed," he said, "but it is
especially true that the
reality of biotechnology must be made known; this
is why I say that if you
know biotechnology, you do not fear it."
Given the objections expressed by
some environmentalists, Bertoni explained
that "the so-called
sale of seeds that later cannot be reused because they
are sterile is not a
problem, given that after 50 years the present type of
corn seed is not reusable
because it does not guarantee the benefits of the
first generation. Instead,
transgenic corn, which is resistant to ...
plagues, is an enviable
product because it produces more and does not need
chemical treatments to
defend itself against parasites."
Bertoni explained how
"vaccinations are an example of how biotechnology
applied to medicine brings
benefits."
In regard to animal cloning, the
professor said that this "could finally
resolve the problem of
species in the process of extinction. It is being
tried with the panda bear,
and might be applied to other species."
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