1997 State of the World Forum Statement on Life and
Evolution
"Life is an intimate web of relations that
evolves in its own right, interfacing and integrating its myriad diverse
elements. The complexity and interdependence of all forms of life have
the consequence that the process of evolution cannot be controlled, though
it can be influenced. It involves an unpredictable creative unfolding that
calls for sensitive participation from all the players, particularly from
the youngest, most recent arrivals, human beings.
Life must not be treated as a commodity that can be owned, in whole or
in part, by anyone, including those who wish to manipulate it in order
to design new lifeforms for human convenience and profit.
There should be no patents on organisms or their parts.
We must also recognize the potential dangers of genetic engineering to health and biodiversity, and the ethical problems it poses for our responsibilities to life.
We propose a moratorium on commercial releases of genetically engineered products and a comprehensive public enquiry into the legitimate and safe uses of genetic engineering. This enquiry should take account of the precautionary principle as a criterion of sensitive participation in living processes.
Species should be respected for their intrinsic natures
and valued for their unique qualities, on which the whole intricate network
of life depends.
We recognize the validity of the different ways of knowing that have been
developed in different cultures, and the equivalent value of the knowledge
gained within these traditions. These add substantially to the set of alternative
technologies that can be used for the sustainable use of natural resources
that will allow us to preserve the diversity of species and to pass the
precious gift of life in all its beauty and creativity to our children
and their children, to the next century and beyond".
Among the signatories are:
Fritjof Capra, Institute for Ecoliteracy, California, USA;
Peter Fenwick, Scientific and Medical Network, U.K.;
Brian Goodwin, Schumacher College, U.K.
Mae-Wan Ho, Open University, U.K.
Ervin Laszlo, Club of Budapest, Hungary;
David Lorimer, Scientific and Medical Network, U.K.
Richard Strohman, University of California, Berkeley, USA;
Marilyn Schlitz, Institute of Noetic Sciences, California, USA;
Peter Saunders, King's College, London, U.K.
Vyvyan Howard, University of Liverpool, U.K.
1.The next State of the World Forum,
2. The UN Convention on Biological Diversity,
3. Our Government(s),
4. The WHO
These instances will be asked to to initiate an enquiry into genetic
engineering and the recent resurgence of infectious diseases.
You can find out more about this forum at the State of the World Forum website
You can learn more about the problem that this statement addresses at the website "Genetically Engineered Food - Safety Problems" which also has links to most other sites dealing with this issue.
Please sign on and collect more signatures if you agree
Please give name, title, affiliation and address as well as signature along with a message stating that you agree to sign on the 1997 State of the World Forum Statement on Life and Evolution .
Send it to Professor Mae-Wan Ho either
1. Filling in and submitting the form "1997 State of the World Forum Statement on Life and Evolution - Signature" (click on the line)
2. By sending an own E-mail to: M.W.Ho@open.ac.uk or:
2. By mailing to the following address:
Professor Mae-Wan Ho,
Biology Department,
Open University
Walton Hall,
Milton Keynes,
MK7 6AA
UK
The Statement in E-mail format When you e-mail the statement to others, please always send a separate mail with the following signature form along with it :
The Signature Form in E-mail format
Information materials that you can send along with the above documents if you wish:
The reasons why hazardous
substances may be created because of genetic engineering
This document can also be found in a HTML-version
.
The Difference Between Traditional
Breeding Methods and Genetic Engineering
Consequences for Safety and Labelling Regulation Policy
A document by five scientitsts that was sent to the delegates of the Codex Alimentarius meeting in april 1997 to explain why genetic engineering, differently from breeding, may create unexpected harmful substances in food. It demands a.o. that all GE-foods be withdrawn from the market for rigorous testing because the present assessment methods are inadequate. It can also be found in a HTML-version .
Please don't mind that the documents look awkward in the web browser. Just copy them on to your clipboard and paste them into the message window of your E-mail program, and they will appear in the right format there. Please remember always to mail the Signature Form along with the Statement. They are kept separate for administrative reasons, so please don't reedit or fuse them into one.
The statement and a signature form is also available in Adobe Acrobat
format. This format makes it possible printed copies. The Adobe Acrobat
Free Reader can be downloaded at:
http://www.adobe.com/prodindex/acrobat/readstep.html
Documents available in Adobe Acrobat format: